RED
by Kanto Touch This
Summary: A kindhearted boy from the slums gets his world turned upside down when he rescues an illegal "animal". Is she worth all the trouble she causes or will she end up justifying the fear that surrounds her?


_**CHAPTER ONE**_

I hate that look.

The look of pity and disgust that always crosses their faces whenever they see my neighborhood. It's only there for a moment, but I hate it.

The only thing I hate more than that look is my neighborhood itself. I'd never admit it, but it disgusts me too. The dingy buildings with half the windows boarded up, the streets stained with brown clumps of tobacco and strewn with pieces of trash, the lingering smell of alcohol and uncleanliness that lingers even on the freshest day…

I can hardly blame my friends for making that look, but it's my home and no one can hate it but me.

People make assumptions about this part of the city; think we're all hooligans who will steal your car – and your money – just for the heck of it. Like we all really wear hoodies and do drugs and carry switchblades in our pockets.

As a matter of fact, my block is pretty civilized, with the exception of a few old drunks who go crazy now and then. Maybe a couple of kids will smoke behind one of the buildings, or build a bonfire or something, but nothing out of control. We keep to ourselves and don't stick our noses where they don't belong and, of course, we always stay away from the abandoned gym.

"Hey, Dash!"

I grit my teeth and allow my palm to be high-fived painfully. "Hey Owen."

Now, like I said, my neighborhood is good, more or less, but Owen and his posse are the less. They're always up to something and almost never apart. Even now I could see the rest of them skulking a few feet away.

"What's up, my bro?"

"Going home."

Owen shakes his head, his long hair shaking with it. "You're not gonna catch the fight? Shame, man."

I hesitate. I used the homework excuse the last two times he asked me. Any more and I risk being targeted as a wimp. "I've still got time."

"All right!" He does a fistpump and turns around, jerking his head at his gang. "It's too bad you couldn't make the last one. It was pretty awesome. You got money, right?"

I nod. Money's necessary around there. Even if I don't bet on the fight, I might need to bribe someone not to talk.

"Good. You never know, might meet a girl and need to buy her something." He winks and a grin stretches across his baby face, giving him that innocent look that always gets him out of trouble. "I hear Cheryl's gonna be there."

I pretend to look interested, but the girls who go to the fight aren't my type. Nothing about the fights is my type.

"I thought Cheryl was with Lars." Cogan, the biggest, most intimidating member of Owen's gang falls into step with us.

"Nah, man, that was over _months _ago..."

I tune them out and concentrate on what I'm going to tell my uncle. As a rule, he's pretty laid back, but he doesn't want me mixed up with Owen any more than I do. Sometimes, he's a little too overprotective. He really loved my mom and dad; he doesn't want to lose me too.

"...at the party. Hey, Dash, why weren't you there?"

I give a little start. "Um...Track meet."

Owen nods, buying it for now. "It was pretty wild. You would have had fun."

_I doubt it._

I don't exactly know why Owen likes me...I avoid him as much as possible. Maybe because of my speed – I'm not called Dash for nothing. It could be that he needs someone to be able to run fast away from whoever he pisses off. Whatever reason, he's always super-nice to me, even occasionally sticking up for me in school.

"So, which one do you think is gonna win?" Owen asks me, determined to keep me in the conversation at all costs.

"Oh, you know me. Whichever one can run the fastest."

They all laugh. It really wasn't that funny, but they've got to at least pretend they like me. If Owen says jump, these guys say how high. It's kind of weird, since he's a good six inches shorter and twenty pounds lighter than the smallest of them.

"Okay, stay cool." We've reached the gym by this point and Owen knocks on the door. They still use secret knocks, but they change it about once a month.

After he's done, the door opens and we step inside the dimly lit hallway. There's maybe two flickery light bulbs illuminating the stained tile floor and rough brick walls. There's also a smell...one of old rubber and mildew. My nose automatically wrinkles and my lip curls.

"Great, isn't it?" Owen nudges me and winks.

I roll my eyes and shove his elbow away, grinning. I have to grin – being Owen's friend is bad enough without being his enemy.

We make our way through the small corridor towards the dull roar of the crowd. The fight hasn't started yet, as the halls are deserted, but spectators still show up early, not wanting to miss a moment.

We enter through one of the side doors and fight our way through the fidgety crowd toward some of Owen's buddies. As promised, Cheryl is there, along with three or four of her friends. They're all skinny bimbos with fake smiles, and the very fact that they _enjoy_ the fights is enough to turn me off.

"Heyyy." Cheryl smiles at Owen. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up. It starts in two minutes."

"I'm always fashionably late." He sits down next to her, casually placing a hand on her leg. Say what you will, the boy is smooth. "You know Dash, right?"

"Oh yeah! You're the kid – "

I know what she's about to say, so I cut her off. "Yeah. Hi."

They can see that I'm not interested in talking, so they make some minor bets and laugh at each other's choice. I tune them out, staring into the arena. I know I shouldn't be here and already my stomach's twisting...

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The loudspeaker roars and the crowd screams. I smirk a little. These people are the exact opposite of ladies and gentlemen.

"FOR YOUR VIEWING PLEASURE – " I snort. "WE PRESENT TO YOU TWO OF THE MOST FEROCIOUS, FASTEST AND FURIOUS FIGHTERS OF FIRE!" _Oh, real clever. _"WITHOUT FURTHER ADO – LET THE BATLE BEGIN!"

Two doors open in the ring. Out of one gallops a horse – well, it looks like a horse, but its mane and tail seem to be made out of fire and it runs much faster than any horse I've ever seen. Owen jerks his thumb at it and winks at me. "Bet you're rooting for that one, huh?"

I force a laugh.

The other door opens to reveal what looks like a cross between a tiger and a dog. Its fur is standing on end and it does certainly look ferocious...but like all the other creatures in the fights, you can see signs of abuse and cruelty.

I guess they fight, but I don't watch. I _can't_ watch. I stare at my feet instead, trying to block out the squeals of pain and cheers of the mob around me. The temperature is starting to rise, probably from the fire the animals are shooting at each other, and I feel more and more uncomfortable every minute.

All at once, the hoots from the stands turn to gasps and screams. I lift my eyes to see everyone, including Owen and his gang, standing up and falling over each other to get to the exit. As I look around some more, I see why.

A police officer is standing in the protected box above the arena, holding a megaphone and probably shouting something. I can't hear him over the collective roar, but I know what this means. Already I can see other cops grabbing people at random and putting them in handcuffs.

I curse and stand up. I _knew_ I shouldn't have come!They arrest anyone even remotely involved with these animals – after all, they're not even supposed to exist – and getting arrested was not my plan for the day.

I usually rely on my speed to get me out of tight situations like this, but it's impossible to run in the flood of people. I squirm around some and push past others, trying my best to get to a door, any door. I've long since lost sight of Owen, but that's more of a relief than anything.

Finally, my fingers close around a doorknob and I stumble out into an alley that's strangely deserted. I hunch over for a second, trying to get my breath back and my heart to beat normally...

...when I hear a faint whimper.

I raise my head, slowly.

It looks like a puppy. It looks almost exactly like a puppy, except it has four tails. It probably had more at one point, but the others are missing, leaving odd spaces between the ones that remain. It's bruised and starved, like all the other creatures, and bleeding from one paw.

We stare at each other for a minute. Then it whimpers again and tries to run away. It doesn't get far, though, before its bad paw gives out and it collapses.

My breath is back now and I should leave, but...

The puppy looks at me again and lets out a short, weak bark.

_Don't do it, man, don't do it..._

I hear footsteps behind me and suddenly, there's no time for thinking anymore. I scoop up the puppy, stuff it in my jacket and take off.

Whoever it was never even saw me. I'm not called Dash for nothing.

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

By the time I get to my building, I start cursing freely. What was I thinking? There is no way I can get this beast in the house without my uncle noticing it and then we'll both be arrested for possessing it. Plus, it's scratching at my chest and starting to get hot, like those other fire creatures.

_Well...you got yourself into this mess..._ I take a deep breath and jog up the stairs to my apartment, pausing to listen at the door. I don't hear anyone moving around, so my uncle _might_ not be home. I cross my fingers and open the door.

Sure enough, the tiny kitchen/living room is empty. That gives me a clear path to my room, which my uncle never enters anyway. I unzip my jacket and put the puppy on the floor on top of it. It sighs and curls in a ball, looking irresistibly cute.

I reach out a hand and touch its back gently – but it flinches and lifts its lip in a growl. I jerk back and shrug. "Okay, okay, no touching. I got it."

I leave it to lick its wounds and walk to the kitchen again, looking through the cabinets for a can of chicken broth. I finally find one at the very back of a shelf and pour it into a bowl. According to my friend Rock, this is what they do for especially pathetic dogs at his parents' animal shelter.

I bring it back to my room and set it down in front of the creature. It sniffs it cautiously and takes a couple of licks. I can't help but smile a little.

There's a slam. "DAN!"

I scramble to my feet and hurry out into the hallway, heart racing. "Yeah?"

Wood sees me and breathes a sigh of relief, putting a hand over his chest. "Thank goodness. You didn't come home after school and then there was that police raid at the gym..."

"I was...just staying for some extra homework help." I take a step into the living room, hoping to steer him away from my room. "You know me, I hate the fights."

He nods and sits down on the couch. "Yeah, I know. I just panicked."

"Um..." My pulse starts to return to normal. "So what's for dinner?"

"I don't know. There's still some Chinese leftovers in the fridge." He gets up again. "I'm working late shifts this month, so I gotta go. I only came back to make sure you were all right."

"Okay. See ya." I pause, thinking. "Wood?"

"Whatever happened to 'Uncle Wood'?" He shrugs on his jacket.

I roll my eyes. "Did you ever want a pet?"

"Yeah...but the landlord won't allow anything that could potentially make noise. We could get a goldfish maybe. Or a mute cat. But nothing else...why?"

"Just wondering. Have a good time at work."

He snorts and is gone.

I wait until he's gone down all the stairs before sprinting back to my room.

The animal's knocked over the bowl of broth, sending it everywhere and is now trying to lick it up from the floor. I shake my head and pick up the bowl, regretting my decision already.

"At least I don't have a carpet."

The little thing flicks its ear.

I cross my legs and watch it for a minute. "This is stupid, you know. This is incredibly, incredibly illegal, and if they find you, they'll just kill you anyway..."

It finishes cleaning the floor and yawns.

"Yeah. You don't care, do you." I reach out a hand again, and it growls.

"Well, fine then." I pick up the bowl and stand up. "But if we're gonna get along, you're gonna have to improve your attitude."

It sits down and licks a paw, making a sound incredibly close to a purr.

"Well." I shut the door behind me. "It's a start."

"Melissa!"

She turns away from her friends. "Sorry, I gotta go."

They wave. "See you, Missy!"

She jogs to catch up with me. "What's up?"

I lift an eyebrow. "Missy?"

She rolls her eyes and punches me lightly on the shoulder.

Melissa and I have been best friends ever since the first day of first grade when she spilled paint on my coat and then offered to share hers (Did you know two six year olds can fit in one winter jacket?). I've also harbored a secret crush on her ever since middle school, but unfortunately –

"Where's Rock?"

– she's dating my other best friend.

I shrug. "I think he's got detention. Again."

Melissa sighs. "You know, if his excuses weren't so funny, I'd get really mad at him."

I laugh and start walking down the hall towards the courtyard. We made it a habit to always eat outside in the courtyard, even now, when it was freezing` and about to snow any minute. It's always deserted this time of year, and my friends and I prefer that to a crowd of screaming idiots.

"Brr." She sits down at our regular picnic table and opens her lunch. "Remind me again why we do this?"

"It's your own fault for wearing a skirt."

"Well, how else am I supposed to look sexy?"

_Just by being yourself..._ "Whatever."

I live for these moments, when I'm alone with her. Rock is a great guy and has been part of our trio since we were all ten, but get him and Melissa together and it's cootie central.

"Hey, thanks for waiting for me."

Speak of the devil.

He slides in next to Melissa and kisses her on the cheek. I bite the inside of my lip.

"So what was it this time?" She crosses her arms. "More 'circumstantial evidence'?"

Rock gets detention nearly every day, but neither one of us knows why. He's more or less a good kid – at least, he wouldn't beat up anyone or insult any of his teachers.

"I'm telling you, babe, I keep getting framed! I'm walking down the hallway, right? And there's this..."

Melissa and I exchange glances and shake our heads.

"Hey, Rock." I interrupt him just as he starts waving his hands wildly. "What would you do with a stray dog?"

"Why, did you find one?" He loops his arm around Melissa's waist.

"No..." Which is true, really. It isn't exactly a dog. "But...my neighbor did. It's kind of beat up."

"Is it eating?"

"Yeah. A bowl of chicken broth last night."

"What about this morning?"

"Same thing."

"That's good." He shrugs. "Any problems?"

"Well, like I said, it's pretty beat up. It's got a bunch of cuts, it limps on one foot and it's missing some – " I stop before I can say "tails". "– patches of fur."

"That'll heal. I don't know, just keep it quiet and give it food."

"Okay. Thanks. I'll...tell my neighbor."

Melissa gives me a look, like she knows I'm not being completely truthful.

I give her another look, begging her not to say anything.

She gives me a look that says, okay, but you'll have to tell me later.

I give up and just nod.

Rock, of course, doesn't notice anything. "So, Dash, when's your next track meet?"

Melissa and I exchange glances again. He must be really distracted.

"Rock..." She tousles his hair affectionately and I feel a small twinge of jealousy. "It's December. Track isn't a winter sport, remember?"

He blinks. "Right. I forgot."

This really isn't like Rock at all. He loves sports, memorizes all the statistics and everything and above all, knows track. He coached me through my first season, when I started getting serious and times me on all my runs. Lately though, he's been getting absentminded, kind of jumpy too. Not just about track, about everything. Maybe it's because midterms are coming up.

"Wanna come over tonight?" Melissa asks, clearly thinking the same thing. "I could help you...calm down a little."

I take a much more ferocious bite of my apple than is really necessary.

"What? No, that's all right babe, I gotta bunch of homework...actually..." He stands up. "I should go get some of my textbooks. Catch ya later!"

His girlfriend and I share another look.

_We've gotta get him back._

_**CHAPTER THREE**_

I feel unusually optimistic when I get home. Maybe this whole thing is worth it. I mean, that poor animal never hurt anyone and it'd be nice to have a pet...

That's before I enter my bedroom.

My curtains look like they're burned, there's grit and dirt all over my bed (not to mention dog doo all over my floor) and all my stuff has been knocked off my dresser by the animal, who is up there now, sniffing curiously at my mother's ring.

"Get away from there!" I wave my hands and it jumps off, more from surprise than obedience. It growls as it hits the floor, then disappears under my bed.

I bury my head in my hands and allow myself one loud scream of frustration before cleaning up my room. I vacuum the bed and wash the floor, but nothing much can be done about the curtains...I'll just have to hope Wood doesn't ask about them.

The creature is on its back legs now, still sniffing at the ring. I sweep it into my hand and check it for damage.

This ring has been handed down in my family for generations...I think it was my great-great grandmother's grandmother's or something. It's got a red stone in the middle of the gold band and it was always given as an engagement ring, as my family has a history of never being exactly wealthy. It's all I have of my mom now and I sometimes daydream of giving it to Melissa. So, obviously, I didn't want any animal sniffing it and chewing it up.

I pushed it down again, avoiding a snap by the narrowest of margins and pocketed the ring. "Okay, if we're gonna get along, there's gonna have to be some boundaries."

It sits down and cocks its head, as if it's really listening.

"Okay, first off, I know it's not ideal to be shut in my room. I'll take you outside sometimes, probably at night, but in the meantime, I'll put down some newspaper, okay?"

It licks its nose.

I realize suddenly how crazy this is, but for the first time, it's paying attention to me, and no one's around to see, so I continue.

"Second, stay off my bed, okay?"

It lifts its lip and a rumble sounds in the back of its throat.

I sigh. "All right, you can go on the bed but...don't mess it up too much."

The lips goes back and the rumble dies down. It really does seem to understand me.

"And lastly, leave this ring alone." I pull the ring out of my pocket and the animal's eyes grow wider as it stares at it. I pocket it again and the creature blinks. "Just don't mess with it...please? It's special. And you owe me something for saving your life."

It seems to think a moment, then turns in a circle and lies down.

"Okay, thank you. I'll go get you some food."

As I close the door, it seems that the animal wags its tails.

But I could just be hoping.

"Hey!"

I curse under my breath. It was a good thing I had decided _not_ to take the animal out tonight. "Hey, Owen. Cheryl."

They're obviously drunk, leaning on each other and giggling like a couple of little kids. "Hey, Dash, there's a party goin' on at Sabrina's." Owen slurs and sure enough, I can hear party sounds coming from a block away. "You should come."

"Yeah. You don't have enough fun!" Cheryl presses her hips against mine. "You should come."

I take a couple of quick steps backwards. If there's one thing I don't need to deal with tonight, it's Owen Chessy and Cheryl James. "I...I'm just running to the grocery store. I've got a track meet tomorrow." I eye my escape routes. If I ran now, they probably wouldn't even remember it in the morning.

"Well, while you're there, get some more beer!" Cheryl holds up her almost-empty can and collapses on Owen, who falls to the ground.

I step over them carefully and start to jog (which means I move at the speed some kids do when they run) towards the library. It usually stays open until eleven...very convenient for kids who put their projects off until the last minute.

I walk in the door and smile. I like it here. When I was little, this served as my sanctuary when I got teased past my limit. I know every kids' book they have, and most of the young adult ones, too.

"Hello, Dan."

I give the librarian a smile and wave. She's relatively new, only started working here about a month ago, and I still can't get her name. Still, she knows me, just like all the others do. I'm here at least twice a week.

"Anything I can help you with?" She asks with that silky, quiet voice all librarians seem to have. She's pretty too, in a slender, long-haired, middle-aged kind of way.

"No, just...got some research."

She nods and smiles and I head over to a computer in the corner, where no one could see what I'm working on – just in case anyone actually wants to.

I log in and hesitate. It's hard to know what to search for, seeing as the creatures aren't supposed to exist. As far as I know, they don't even have names, except for the nicknames their abusers give them, which are far from polite. I think a minute, then type in _fight results: Chartreuse._

There's about ten thousand results, but the top ones are boxing matches, and further down there's wrestling, kickboxing, and even records of famous disputes settled in violent ways. There are image results too, but those are mainly just the color chartreuse, or pictures of my home town.

I go to the search bar again, adding the word _gym_ after my entry.

Many less results come up, as the gym closed thirty years ago, but they're all official statistics of old matches that happened while the gym was still open.

Not a word about the animals.

I log out of the computer and sigh. Old fashioned research. Yuck.

It's a lot harder to look through all the research books, especially as I'm not sure of the name of my topic. I'm almost done scanning the nonfiction shelves when I hear the librarian call out.

"Dan? Do you need any help?"

For a minute, I consider saying yes. It wouldn't necessarily make her suspicious, I could just say I'm trying to find out more about how my parents died...

"No, that's okay. Thank you."

"Okay..."

I finish the nonfiction shelves and loop around to the back, where I rarely go...I'm not even sure what kind of books they have there.

Old ones, apparently.

The whole aisle smells like old paper and all the bindings of the hardcover books are weathered and cracked. There's an old encyclopedia and some legends of King Arthur or someone like that and a lot of books that don't say anything on the side. I open those to the front page, but most of them are just old stories.

Finally, near the end of the shelf, next to the back exit, I find a book with a strange word on the cover. It looks like it's in another language, maybe Japanese, and I'm sure I could never pronounce it, but underneath the fancy gold lettering, there's a picture of a sphere, red on top, white on the bottom. I've seen those things before, scattered around at the gym during fights. I open the book, almost scared.

A lot of the pages have been torn out and many of those that remain are scribbled out with a marker. Still, I can see some cartoony pictures of strange creatures, some I recognize from the fights and some I've never even heard of.

Finally, I come across a picture of the creature presently sitting in my room. The picture had six tails and the description underneath had been largely blacked out. The few words that are visible are _rare, fire, ember,_ and _evolution: fire stone_.

"Huh."

Well, it's odd, but I don't know what I expected. Maybe a long-lost owner's manual or something that had instructions on how to take care of them. Still, I'm lucky I found anything at all.

"Dan?"

I hear footsteps coming around the bookshelf and hurriedly shove the book back into place.

"Yeah?" I straighten up and try to stop sweating.

"We're closing soon." She gives me a look...not so much suspicious as concerned. "Did you...find what you were looking for?"

"Well, I was looking for a topic to do my paper on, so I was kind of doing research on what to research." I force a laugh. "I think I found a good one, though."

"Okay." She smiles, evidently believing me and goes back to the front desk.

I walk out into the chilly night, hands jammed into my sweatshirt pocket, wondering how I ever became such a good liar.

"Okay, here. Cold chicken. Count your blessings I'm such a generous soul."

It does pause before eating the chicken to blink warmly at me, almost a animal-like smile. Then, of course, it attacks the chicken like it insulted its family.

"You know what?" I say absentmindedly, watching it eat. "You need a name."

It pauses again to make some kind of weird purring noise..._fallpix,_ or at least that's what it sounds like.

"Is that your name?"

It kind of cocks its head and goes back to eating.

"Well, no offense, I'm going to pick a new one. You mind?" It flicks an ear, but makes no other response. "Okay, then."

I know it's a girl, it's rolled over enough for me to see that, but I don't want to name it anything cliché, like Fluffy or Mitzi or something. I consider naming it Melissa for a second, but that would be just too weird.

"Terror?"

Growl.

"Just kidding. Four? Because you have four tails instead of..."

She gives me a disdainful look.

"Ember?"

She gives me another look, then shoots flames out of her mouth.

"Whoa!" I jump up and stamp out the flames starting to burn my curtains again. "Okay, you don't like that one either."

She cocks her head.

"Um...Tanya?"

She kind of yips and wags her tails.

I laugh. "Great!" I reach down to pet her, but she snarls and snaps at my hands. I guess we're still not that close.

Later, as I'm warming up soup for Wood (he won't be back until dawn, but still. The poor guy works such long hours, I scarcely get to see him anymore!), I sigh and think through the mess I'm in.

I've rescued an illegal animal, with no idea how to take care of it, no way to get help on taking care of it, as I'll be carted away to juvie if anyone finds out I have it, I've done this in my uncle's house, who's done everything he can to make sure I stay safe and out of trouble, and now I've named this animal, this – this troublemaker...

After my mother.

_**CHAPTER FOUR**_

"So, hey, what was up with yesterday?"

Rock serves the volleyball and shrugs. "I've been under a lot of stress."

I catch the ball and eye him suspiciously. Rock is my best friend, and by now, I've learned to tell when he's not telling the truth. "Right. What stress do you have? It can't be with your love life, that's for sure."

He narrows his eyes. "Don't you dare move in on her."

I raise my hands defensively, dropping the volleyball. "Hey, you know I would never do that! I just...worry about you guys sometimes."

He sighs and rolls the ball back towards me. "I'm sorry, I just...I don't know...sometimes..."

I palm the ball and soften my voice. "Rock, it's me. You can tell me, you know that."

"But not...here." He glances around.

We're in gym, probably the best place to talk freely as no one can hear you over the echoes of other shouts and no one really cares anyway. Still, he looks pretty upset. I'll let it go for the time being.

"So, uh. There's that play tonight." Not that I'm a fan of the drama club or anything, those stupid posters are just everywhere. "Are you gonna take Melissa?"

"It's Missy, and I don't know, all right?"

We resume tossing the ball back and forth over the net in silence. I try not to ask too many questions about him and Melissa, but sometimes, I can't help myself. I worry about her and I just can't help but think that I could be better to her than he is. That's natural, right? All boys think that about girls with boyfriends. He just...hasn't been paying much attention to her lately and I'm afraid...

The ten-minute warning bell rings, and we go in to change.

"Hey, sorry about that." Rock tosses me his body spray. "Like I said, I'm uptight."

_You can say that again._ I spray myself liberally with the deodorant. "It's okay. But what's up with the Missy thing?"

He shrugs. "Everyone calls her that now. I think it's cute. Don't you?"

As a matter of fact, I hate it. I have dedicated whole afternoons to thinking up nicknames for the girl of my dreams and Missy didn't even come near the list. It sounded degrading, like she's just another skinny airhead who takes pictures of herself in the bathroom mirror.

"Yeah. It's cute."

I've never been much for speaking my mind.

"So, uh...about the play..." He pauses for a minute as he struggles back into his shirt. "You can take her, if you want."

I evaluate my options. Wood's working that night (of course he is), but I don't want to leave the animal..._Tanya_ home alone...

"I'll...have to ask for permission. But thanks."

"Sure. No funny stuff."

I grin. "You know me."

"Besides," He shrugs his backpack on and waits as I tie my shoelaces. "What do you need permission for? I'm sure he'll let you go."

"I hope so." _Considering the fact that I'm asking permission from an illegal, supposedly nonexistent animal to leave it alone where it could easily be discovered..._

_She might get mad, and I don't want to get in trouble._

"Tanya?"

She's curled up on the bed, but when she hears my voice, she looks up. Looks up with a rather bored expression on her face, it's true, but still, it's acknowledgment.

"I have a question."

She puts her head back down.

"Would it be all right if I...went out tonight?"

She stiffens and the hair on her back raises.

I sit down next to her. "Only for a couple of hours, then I'll take you out later, okay?"

She licks her nose, considering.

"I brought you beef jerky..."

She thinks for another minute, then gives a slight nod and closes her eyes. I can only imagine what she's thinking. _All right that's fine. Just let me go to sleep!_

I touch her back gently, but this time I don't move fast enough to avoid a snap.

She has a smug look on her face as she curls back into a ball. _Let that be a lesson to you._

"Hey, what happened to your hand?"

I stuff it in my pocket. "Burned it."

Melissa giggles. "Yeah, stoves are hot, remember?"

I laugh with her, our breath making thick white clouds in front of our faces. I love her laugh. I love everything about her...the way her cheeks get red in the cold, like they are now, the way she scrunches up her face when she gets mad, the way –

"Um...Dash?"

I give a little start. I tend to get lost in my thoughts a lot, and it's not always so easy to find my way back. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She flashes a smile. "So...did you find out what's bugging Rock?"

I shake my head as the light turns green and we cross the street. "I talked to him, but all I can get out of him is that 'he's stressed'." I make air quotes and roll my eyes. "I don't know why, though. I saw his last report card and his lowest grade was a B plus. Can't you find out? Like, offer to take your shirt off or something?"

She laughs again. "First off, that's nothing new to him. Second..." Her grin fades. "He...barely talks to me anymore."

There's a short silence.

Then I throw an arm around her shoulders and start tickling her and once again, the sound of laughter rings out on the quiet street.

After a while, she's trying to get her breath back and obviously feeling much better. "Dash, you are the best friend ever."

A little pang hits my heart. I'm not sure if it's jealousy or sadness, but either way, it hurts. This girl deserves so much more than what Rock is giving her right now...I resolve to tell him that later.

Before long, we've reached school. Other kids are pouring in the doors and I can spot Owen and Cheryl, making a scene in the middle of the crowd. I shudder, glad I met Melissa at her house so we didn't run into those two.

We stand in line for what seems like an eternity, making jokes and teasing each other, until finally we get our tickets and find our seats, which, because the world hates me, happen to be directly behind Owen and Cheryl's. I groan inwardly and hope they didn't see me.

"Dash!"

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. _Really, universe? Really?_ "Hi, Owen."

He nods at Melissa. "That your girlfriend? I didn't know you had one!"

Melissa and I exchange glances. Then, she leans forward. "See, things are kind of complicated with us. I'm sort of dating another guy right now, but I'm also pregnant with Dash's baby. We figure as soon as the school year ends, we'll run away to Mexico and live with the roadrunners."

I love this girl.

Owen laughs, but Cheryl raises her eyebrows at me like, _Come on, you could do so much better._

I _do_ roll my eyes then – I couldn't care less about insulting Cheryl. She couldn't ruin my life the way Owen could.

At that point, though, the lights dim and the music starts. The Chaos Couple face front again and I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing at the face Melissa makes at their backs.

The play is pretty lame...it's supposed to be Peter Pan, I guess, but the lead actor can't sing, the costumes look like they've been ripped out of a dog's mouth and the spotlight guy seems like he's had a little too much caffeine. The light keeps bouncing around the stage.

After watching about fifteen minutes of this nonsense, I turn and watch the girl sitting next to me instead. She's much better looking than those sets, anyway, with her long, wavy auburn hair, long, gorgeous eyelashes and slight smattering of freckles on her nose...I have literally written poems about those freckles. I've written poems about everything having to do with her...it was just my luck that by the time I had worked up enough courage to ask her out, Rock had swept her off her feet.

That was almost a year ago and I shouldn't be bitter, but I can't help it. It was almost cute at first, you know, when couples can't stop themselves from cuddling and smooching all the time, but...since the beginning of this school year, they've been distant. Or at least Rock has. I worry...

Melissa suddenly turns and catches me staring at her. She crosses her eyes and puffs out her cheeks and I grin.

She is so perfect.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time."

During the play, it must have snowed a little, and there's a good two inches on the ground. It's still coming down, not as fast now, but all in all, it's a beautiful night.

"Not completely." I toss her a candy bar, bought during intermission. "Anyway, better than staying home and being lonely, right?"

Her shoulders slump a little, and I realize too late that that was the wrong thing to say.

"Melissa – "

"I'm okay." She tucks a lock of hair behind her ear and smiles. "And why don't you call me Missy, like everyone else?"

I shrug. "I...I like your real name. And what I used to call you when we were little."

She makes a face. "Mel? That sounds like a guy."

I could give her a thousand reasons why I'd rather call her that...hell, I could sing her a song about her name, I've written two...but...well, as I said before, I've never been much for speaking my mind. I'm a little too withdrawn for my own good. Right now, for example, I should tell this girl how I feel and at least hug her or something...

But instead, I just shrug again.

I hate myself.

"So, uh...what was that thing at lunch yesterday?" She folds her arms tightly across her body.

"What thing?"

"The thing you were avoiding...the stray dog or something?" She raises an eyebrow. "I'm pretty sure there's more to it.

"Um..." My pulse quickens. "Not really...someone in my building just found a stray animal and took it home. I wanted to make sure they knew how to take care of it." There. Perfectly honest without telling the whole truth. I like it.

She chews on her lip, still skeptical. After a while, she relents. "Okay, then, can I come by and see it sometime? I like dogs."

My heart is beating so loud right now, I'm surprised she can't hear it. "Yeah, I'll um...see what I can do."

We've reached her house by this point, and we stand at the edge of her driveway. If this were one of my fantasies, I'd sweep her into a passionate kiss, she'd fall head over heels in love with me and Rock would miraculously be okay with it.

But this is reality and so instead, her brother hits me on the back of the head with a snowball.

Melissa giggles and runs inside. "Thanks, Dash!

"You're – "

The door slams.

I sigh.

_**CHAPTER FIVE**_

"Okay, listen."

Tanya sits up, actually listening. It still freaks me out a little, but I'm getting used to it.

"I'm gonna take you outside now, but in order to make sure you don't run away and get yourself killed, I have to put you on a leash." I hold up one of my old belts. Same thing. "Which means I have to touch you, okay?"

She growls, but stays still while I fasten the belt around her neck. I'll use the extra slack as a leash.

"Okay." I stand up, tugging on the makeshift leash. Tanya jumps off the bed and follows me out the door. Wood won't be home until sunrise, so there's no danger in the apartment...it's the rest of the building and outside I'm worried about.

I glance back at the animal. "If only we could hide your tails. Then no one would get suspicious if we got caught."

She whimpers and backs up a few steps, looking at me fearfully.

Suddenly, I understand. "That's why you're missing some, isn't it? They wanted you to look inconspicuous."

She crouches down, hiding her head in her paws.

"Hey, it's all right, I'm not going to even touch your tails, okay?" I try to make my voice as soothing as possible. "All I want to do is make sure you're safe. Now, let's go."

She stands up again and prances down the steps, head held high, as if nothing happened.

In front of our building, there's a little patch of grass on either side of the door, bordered by an unhealthy-looking hedge. The grass in mostly dead now, and whatever leaves remain on the hedge are brown, but it's the best I can get right now. Luckily, there's no snow, thanks to the overhang of the building.

Tanya likes it better than inside, but makes it plain she doesn't think much of it. She does her business quickly, then starts down the sidewalk, straining against her leash.

"No..." I pull her back. "Maybe some other time we can go somewhere else, but not now, all right? I need to figure some things out."

She growls, but follows me back inside.

We manage to make it back to my room without incident, but somehow the whole thing makes me uneasy. Like if it was fine this time, it's a sure sign something will go wrong next time.

I shake my head. _You're being stupid_.

That night, just as I drift off to sleep, I feel Tanya jump up and curl up against my legs, vibrating gently.

I wake up and smell bacon.

Instead of smiling, I sit bolt upright, hoping desperately that Wood didn't look in on me last night.

Tanya peeks her head out from under the bed and makes a high pitched purring _sound... "fuhpix?"_

"Did my uncle see you?"

She shakes her head.

I flop back onto my pillows with relief.

After a while, I get up and pull on some jeans. The bacon smell isn't from our kitchen, which is deserted, so it must be some neighbor. Wood is passed out on the couch, poor guy...I doubted he would have been up to making breakfast anyway.

I open the fridge and grab the eggs. Being the good nephew I am, I'm going to make breakfast for him.

We don't have much in the way of omelet ingredients – besides the eggs, the only thing in the fridge is a jar of peanut butter – but I add a lot of butter and salt and stuff and it smells delicious, if I do say so myself.

"Yip?"

I look down. Tanya is sitting on her back legs, sniffing the air and looking hopefully at the frying pan.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, angry at myself for not thinking to close my door. "He could see you!"

As if in response, Wood mumbles and stirs. We freeze, but he doesn't wake up.

"Okay, here." I flip her my egg. "But stay in my room, all right?"

She pads back down the hallway, carrying my breakfast like a trophy.

Wood's egg is done, but I don't have the heart to wake him. I set it on the table next to him and start to tiptoe away silently, when the phone rings, loud and shrill.

I pick it up quickly on the first ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dash."

I relax. "Hey, Rock."

"Sorry if I woke up Wood...poor guy must be exhausted."

"He is. He slept right through it." I walk back to my room, being sure to close the door behind me. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if I could hang out over there today. My mom's trying to get me to clean my room and anyway, I wanna see this stray dog you were talking about the other day."

I'm not sure whether to feel anxious or relieved. On one hand, this is the normal Rock, without all his distance and nervousness...on the other hand, should I let him see Tanya? Should I even _tell_ him about her? "That'd be great! I don't know if my neighbor still has the stray dog though...we can check."

"Great. I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Bye."

I hang up and look at Tanya. She's finished with the egg and is now cleaning herself. She looks a lot better than she did when I found her...but now that the bruises are gone, it's easier to see how skinny she is. I hope I'm feeding her enough.

"Hey." I sit down on the bed next to her. "I have a friend coming over. He likes animals. Do you want to meet him?"

She bristles a little.

"Hey, it's okay!" I put a hand on her back soothingly. "He doesn't have to see you, I was just wondering. He might know more about taking care of you than I do."

She pauses, considering, then nods and curls up with her tails tucked underneath her.

It isn't until I clean up the kitchen that I realize I touched her without being growled at.

There's a very loud knock on the door and I open it quickly before it can sound again. "Hey. Be quiet, okay? Wood's a light sleeper."

"So light, I'm awake." Behind me, I hear my uncle yawn. "Hi, Rock. Sorry about the dishevelment of the place."

Rock grins and steps inside. "You know I don't care, Wood."

Rock has been coming to our apartment for years, the only friend I haven't been ashamed of bringing here. Melissa's been over once or twice, but even though she didn't say anything, I knew she was disgusted. Besides, have a friend of the opposite gender over and Wood gets all icky.

"Oh hey, eggs! Thanks, Dan."

I laugh. "They're kinda cold. You slept late."

"Eh." His mouth is already stuffed.

My stomach growls involuntarily – I still haven't eaten any breakfast – but I jerk my head at Rock. "Come on, let's go to my room." Of course, that's the last place I really want him, but I have to avoid suspicion. Besides, I've instructed Tanya to stay under the bed unless I call for her.

Once we're safely inside, with the door shut, I sigh, heart beating almost irregularly. "Okay...so...uh...remember that stray dog you were talking about before?"

He sits down on my bed. "Yeah."

"Well...listen, you have to keep this a secret, okay? My neighbor didn't find it, I did. But you can't tell Wood about it or anyone else..."

His brow furrows. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

I sigh again. "It's a her. And...well, you can come out now."

Tanya's head appears between Rock's feet. She looks at me, then up at him, then back to me as if to ask _Are you sure this is a smart thing to do?_

I nod and she emerges completely, sitting on the floor next to me and giving Rock her most winning look.

"Dash..." He says slowly, staring at her. "Why does it have four tails...?"

I squirm. "Well...um...it's kind of a Nonextant." That's the common term used for these things, at least by the scientific community.

Rock's eyes widen.

"Don't freak out!" I wave my hands. "Please don't freak out...I found her outside the gym...I mean, she looks bad now, but she was worse before, all beaten and starved...dammit, Rock, you know me, I would have taken a tarantula home if it needed my help...I just want to know if you can help me take care of her."

"Her." He repeats dumbly, still staring at her. "What's her name?"

"Tanya." He doesn't know the names of my parents, that shouldn't be so shocking to him. "You won't tell anyone she's here, will you?"

"Right, because my goal in life is to see my best friend go to prison." He shakes his head and looks at me. "Of course I won't tell anyone, dude."

I breathe a sigh of relief. It might be my imagination, but I'm pretty sure Tanya does too.

"Can I pet her?" He leans down and Tanya leans away.

"Um...probably not...the only time I touched her without getting bitten was this morning."

The animal shoots me a scathing glance like _I'll get you next time._

He sits up again. "So, uh...what's wrong with it? Her, sorry."

I gesture to her. "I don't know...neglect...I've been feeding her, but all sorts of things...mostly meat and chicken broth...I'm not even sure if she'd eat dog food or anything..."

"And you can't let her out a lot..." He glances towards the newspaper in the corner. I changed it before he came, but there's still a slight smell in the air.

"Well, of course not, she'll be shot on sight." Tanya winces slightly.

He bites his lip and drums his fingers on his collarbone – something he always does when he's thinking hard. "Well...there is a...it's kind of a park, but no one ever goes there anymore...I think it's like condemned or something. We could go check it out today, if you want."

Tanya stands and looks up at me, wagging her tails.

"Well..." I'm still nervous about bringing her into the open, but getting out _would_ be good for her. "We'll have to get her past Wood..." Thinking about that sends another pang of guilt through me. Wood and I almost never see each other anymore, maybe he wants to do something with me today.

"Dash, it's for an hour. Then you and Wood can go to a movie or something and I'll bring over some stuff from the shelter." Rock can read minds. "And, if she's okay with it, I'll hang out with her a little bit."

Tanya considers for a moment, then nods.

Rock gives a start. "Can – can she understand me?"

She rolls her eyes and nods again.

He kneels next to her and says in his animal-trainer voice, "Sit."

She cocks her head and them sticks her tongue out at him.

I laugh. "Yeah, I'd say she understands you perfectly."

_**CHAPTER SIX**_

"Hey, Uncle Wood!"

He turns and smiles at me, eyes still bleary. "You never call me that. What do you want now?"

I nod subtly at Rock and go over to stand behind the couch. Wood's eyes follow me and Rock quickly dashes for the door, Tanya hidden under his shirt. I hold back a sigh of relief and look back to my uncle. "Well...uh...I was just wondering...I mean, you're gone all the time and...could we go out to a movie later or something? If you're not too tired." I add hurriedly, realizing how stupidly the question had come out, despite how I had planned it in my head.

Wood's smile grows larger. "I'd love that!"

I let out another miniscule sigh and grin back. "Great! Rock and I have to um...do some research for a project, but we'll be back soon."

"Okay, I'll see what movies are playing!" He gets up and dumps his dishes in the sink. "Have fun."

"Thanks!" I sprint out the door, barely using any steps on the way down and meet Rock out front.

He grimaces when I arrive, shifting Tanya under his jacket. "She really doesn't like to be handled, does she? And why is she so hot?"

"Oh..." I shrug, not quite able to give an explanation. "I don't know, she's some sort of fire creature. Still, it's not that bad when it's this cold outside, at least she keeps you warm."

"Hard to look on the bright side when half the skin on my chest is gone." He winces. "Let's hurry up and go."

I follow him down the street, in the opposite direction of the library, where we're supposedly going to do research. The snow has melted overnight into a watery slush that soaks our pants cuffs and little bits of brown grass poke up from the few remaining snowdrifts – which, in my opinion, is the most depressing sight on earth.

"So how did you find out about this park?" I ask, trying to distract myself from how hungry I am. I should have made another egg after Tanya ate mine.

"An online map." Rock suddenly looks uncomfortable. "I was...looking for my friend's address, not far from here, and I saw it. I researched it a little...it's been closed to the public for about ten years."

"Oh. Okay." He's obviously hiding something, but for now, I let him have his privacy.

Finally, we reach a little wooded area with a chain strung across the narrow path. We easily duck under it and jog a little ways, in case someone saw us.

"I think we're okay." He pants, nodding to a beer bottle in the grass. "Stupid kids probably come here all the time."

I nod and he unzips his jacket. I peel Tanya off his chest and hold her tightly. "Stop squirming and listen to me for thirty seconds."

She stops, though she sends me a dirty look.

"I'm going to let you run freely, but DON'T run off. If anyone sees you, they _will _kill you. Okay? Just stay where you can see me."

She nods and I lower her to the ground. She stands, makes a big show of licking down her mussed fur, and then trots over to sniff at the beer bottle.

"That's weird..."

I glance at Rock. "What is?"

His face is pointed to the sky. "Well...the trees are all dead, see?" He points. "But the grass is still green..."

He's right. The grass is that lush green you only get in like late spring. It's long too, almost past my knees.

"Huh."

We sit down and watch Tanya chasing her tails.

"So what are you going to do with her?"

I sigh. "I don't know...I just...She was _dying_ when I found her...I couldn't just leave her there...She seems to be okay with how I'm taking care of her, and now that I know about this park..."

There's a short silence.

"But you could get arrested."

My heart sinks. "Yeah, I know. It's not like it'll be that different in juvie, though. I mean, you and Melissa are my only friends and goodness knows Wood doesn't need the extra mouth to feed...I'm just worried about what they'd do to Tanya."

He laughs as the animal catches one of her tails in her mouth and yelps "They're not...they're not as dangerous as everyone makes them seem."

"Well, this one isn't. Some of them can be pretty scary."

Another short silence.

"Do you think you should tell Wood?"

I shake my head quickly. "No way."

"But he might understand, with your parents and everything – "

I shake my head again. "Ever since they died, he's been overprotective. If anything, he'd be more afraid of Tanya than of me getting in a knife fight." I twist my fingers together. "I wish they were still alive..."

We don't talk again until Tanya pads over to me and cocks her head.

"What?"

She takes a couple of steps away, then looks back at me.

"Come on..." I stand up. "She wants to see what's over there."

"I bet it's no more exciting than over here..." He wades through the long grass behind me. It's weird...usually long grass itches and tickles...But this grass just kind of...slides away so we can walk through.

Up ahead of me, Tanya growls and I hurry to catch up with her.

"So why do you think this place was closed?" Rock asks as he bumps into me.

"Uh. That." I point.

Right in front of Tanya is a small, kind of angry-looking bird. It's a couple of different shades of brown with ruffled feathers and it's hopping agitatedly from side to side. Tanya's hackles are raised and she's still growling quietly.

"Holy shit." Rock whispers. "That's another one of them, isn't it?"

Tanya turns and rolls her eyes, then looks at me quizzically. _Obviously, moron. Can I get it? _

I shrug. "Uh...sure…spit fire on him. I don't know, whatever you did to my curtains."

She just stares at me. The bird, who I assumed would have run away or attacked her by now, just keeps hopping back and forth, squawking quietly.

Rock leans over my shoulder. "Maybe she needs a command word...what did you say to her last time she spit fire?"

"Uh..." I rack my brains. It was a couple of days ago..._Oh yeah, I was trying to name her...let's see...I said Monster or something and she didn't like that...or Four, because of her tails...then I said something that I had read in that book in the library... _"Um...Ember?"

Immediately, flames shoot out of her mouth and hit the little bird. It stumbles back, but then shakes itself and hops forward again to peck Tanya on the forehead. She blinks, rubs her head with her paw and looks at me again.

"Uh...ember."

Flames hit the bird again, but this time, it falls on its side and twitches.

"Oh geez, you killed it..." I kneel down and start to pick up the animal, but Rock shakes his head at me.

"It only fainted. See, it's still breathing. Better leave it where it is." He leans down next to me. "That's weird...look, none of its feathers burned."

"Mm. Hey, do you think she'll be okay?" I examine the bump the bird left on the top of Tanya's head. It's starting to bleed a little bit.

"Yeah, I'll bring over a bandage later." He straightens up. "Dude, we should get back, it's already been about an hour...and this time, _you're _ carrying her and _I'll_ distract Wood."

"Okay." I pick a piece of grass off Tanya's ear. "Hey, we're gonna go home now. We'll come back here soon, I promise, but for now, I gotta carry you back, okay?"

She sighs, actually sighs, but lets me pick her up and put her under my jacket. She doesn't squirm, like the first night I found her, but curls up in my arms, radiating a gentle heat.

We start back towards the entrance. "But come on, dude, did you see that? Don't you think that's weird, the fact that these things are dying out and yet they're right here?"

I shake my head. Rock hasn't been to any fights. "They're not dying out. Trust me. They just close up places like this and try to keep them enclosed. I know they're supposed to not even exist, but they do...especially in this part of town."

We're silent for most of the walk back.

"But what about that bird? Why wasn't it burned or anything?"

I shrug.

"And why didn't it die or just fly away? Why did it pass out like that?"

I shrug again and make a mental note to look at that book in the library later. "I'll find out some more and tell you."

"Okay."

We're quiet the rest of the way back, trying not to draw attention. It's starting to rain a little, making the already gloomy day even more depressing. Occasionally, Tanya squirms under my shirt, but for the most part, she's still and I have a brief hope that I've tamed her.

Then she scratches my side and the hope is gone.

_**CHAPTER SEVEN**_

"Hi, Wood."

"Hi guys!" He leans back in his chair, holding up the movie listings. "There's that new horror movie playing at the theater...it's either that or a romantic comedy."

"Lemme see." Rock turns Wood away from the door. "I think I saw the horror thing, it kind of sucked..."

I half-tiptoe, half-sprint to my room behind their backs. Tanya lets out a quiet whine as I dump her on my bed and I shush her. She narrows her eyes at me, not letting me forget who's in charge here.

I sigh. "Okay, okay, sorry. So, did you have fun today?"

She wags her tails and nods vigorously.

"Do you like Rock?"

Her tails still wag, but a little less excitedly and she cocks her head.

"Well, is it okay if he comes over later? While I'm gone?"

She nods again and walks in a circle before curling up into a ball.

I smile and rub her head.

She lifts her lip and growls.

I pull my hand away and stand up. "Well...I'll see you in a bit, then."

_Still_, I tell myself as I walk down the hallway. _She let you touch her. That's an improvement._ "So...we're gonna go see that horror movie?"

They look up and Wood folds the listings. "Yeah. Like I said, there's nothing else playing except for _Two for Tee_." He rolled his eyes. "A romantic comedy about golf..._that's_ gonna be popular."

I smile. Sometimes I forget how funny my uncle can be. "So what time is it playing?"

"Hm...one-thirty, five-thirty, eight o' clock..." He checks his watch. "And it's about one now. We should probably leave soon."

Out of habit, I glance back towards my bedroom, worrying in spite of myself. Rock gives me a _don't worry about it_ look and grins.

I grin back. "Okay, let's go."

Wood and I don't have a lot of money. My parents hadn't left anything to us, obviously intending to live longer than they did. We don't have a computer or a car and I am the only kid in school without a cell phone. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining...we get by and I have clothes that fit...but this one trip to the movies will probably use up most of our extra cash, especially if we get popcorn.

I can tell Wood is worrying about this too, but he doesn't say anything and we joke all the way to the theater, annoying all the other passengers on the cross-town bus.

At the theater, we pause at the poster for the movie we're about to see. It looks a little cheesy...a woman looking in a mirror and seeing a guy with a knife looking over her shoulder, even though there's nothing behind her. Cheesy...but maybe the movie will be better.

"You know..." Wood comments as he empties his wallet paying for tickets and popcorn. "That actress looked a lot like Tanya."

For a second, I think he means the animal and my heart speeds up without warning. Then, my logical side takes over and I realize he meant my mom. Heart still pounding, I shrug.

"Yeah, I guess you really didn't see her much." He takes the bucket and pops a kernel into his mouth. "Do you remember anything at all about your parents?"

I nod. "A little. I was only three." I feel like I shouldn't talk much...it's always my instinct to clam up whenever my parents are mentioned. Besides, I think Wood's trying to make a point. But he did ask, so... "I remember one night, we had really loud music playing and Dad danced with Mom...then they picked me up and I danced between them, sort of." We danced in a really big room too, I remember that...it must have been in my parents' old house.

"Yeah...they were great people." He holds open the door to our theater and lets out a little laugh. "In college, your father and I always used to fight over Tanya...she always liked him better."

I sit down and wonder if I should say anything. "Were you...?"

"Mad when she married him?" He shakes his head. "It was just a stupid school thing...still, it was nice to have something to look at when Sam invited me over for dinner."

I punch him on the shoulder and he laughs again. There's no one else in the theater except a young couple in the back row...and they don't really look like they're listening.

"So, um..." Maybe, since we're on the subject of my parents, who always liked Nonextants, I could ease Wood into the idea too. "They really loved their work, didn't they?"

His smile disappears and his face hardens. "Yeah."

I persist. "Don't you think, if there were here now, they'd – "

"They'd tell us it was an accident, yes. But it wasn't an isolated incident and they're not here now, so let's drop it."

Oops. I almost never see Wood mad and never actually _made_ him mad, even as a little kid. We're buddies and I feel guilty now for bringing up old feelings of grief and loss.

I'll buy him some candy after the movie and he'll be fine.

The movie is just as bad as the poster promised it would be and Wood and I spend the bus ride home making fun of it, again annoying all the other passengers.

My paranoia takes over as soon as we reached our building. I have to make sure Tanya was all right... "Race you."

"Hey, no fair!"

But I've already taken off, through the door and up the stairs. Wood's fast, for a geezer, but I'm Dash Chamall, boy wonder, and no one can beat me in a race.

So, of course, I reach the apartment first and have the first opportunity to look around. My bedroom door is still shut and nothing seems out of place...good. Rock must not have caused that much chaos.

Wood catches up to me a couple of seconds later, breathing heavily. "That just...that just wasn't fair."

I grin.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go change for my _date_." He puts extra emphasis on the word and stands up a little straighter.

"A date? You?" I sit on the back of the couch, feet resting on the cushions. "What's wrong with her?"

He makes a face at me. "She's one of my co-workers, that's what's wrong with her. She's a lovely girl and she deserves more than the dead-end job she's got."

"How old is she?"

"Thirty three."

Wood's thirty seven, so the age difference isn't that bad. "Where are you taking her?"

"Ice skating."

Cheap, but still meaningful...probably more meaningful than if he had taken her out to dinner. "Does she have any annoying boyfriends or anything?"

He shook his head. "She really doesn't have a lot of dating history...is this interrogation over? I need to get ready."

I nod and slip to the cushions of the couch. "Would you like me to clean up this place in case you get lucky?"

"Would you? That would be a big help."

I sigh in mock exasperation and pick up the trash from the coffee table and the surrounding floor and toss it in the garbage...I'll take it out to the curb as soon as I'm done.

"Hey, that reminds me." Wood pokes his head out from his room. "How's Melissa?"

I sigh again, louder this time. "Same as ever."

"Great, amazing, perfect and beautiful?"

"You forgot 'taken'." I reply heavily, dumping the dirty dishes in the sink. "But I'll get over it one of these days."

"You said that last month."

"Yeah, and the month before that, and the month before that..." I shrug. "I'm working on it."

He shuts the door to his room and I go out into the hall. There's a closet with some garbage bags and a vacuum cleaner and a bunch of other cleaning supplies that the tenants all share. I take the vacuum and run it over the small rectangle of exposed floor in our apartment, then up and down the hall so no one will be annoyed that I borrowed it.

Next, I start on the dishes...there aren't very many, but they've been sitting out so long that the gunk on them is practically impossible to get off. I manage it though and clean the sink after I'm done, washing all the greasy water down the drain.

"Well, how do I look?"

I don't turn around. "Like an idiot."

"Just like normal then. Good."

"How's your room? Clean?"

"Dan, if she sees the inside of my room, I don't think she's going to care that much."

I laugh. "Good point. See ya, unc."

"See ya, neph." The door slams behind him.

I wait until I hear his footsteps go down the stairs to drop the sponge and rush to my room to check on Tanya.

Rock certainly was busy. In the corner of the room where the newspaper used to be, there's a blue litter box, with a bucket of fresh litter next to it and I have to admit, it smells much better than it did before. In the opposite corner, there's a big unopened bag of kibble with a picture of a bored-looking dog on the front. Tanya's next to it, sniffing curiously and occasionally pawing at a collar around her neck.

"Here..." I bent down and took off the collar. "You don't really need this...it's not like you'll run off. You're smarter than that."

She blinks warmly and jumps up on my bed, bracing her paws against the windowsill and wagging her tails.

"We'll go out later, all right? I promise. I just wanted to make sure you were okay." I stand up and toss the collar under the bed. "I'll be back soon."

Tanya lets out a soft whine.

"I know, I know, it's tough...but think of the alternatives. You could be in a giant arena, fighting against things that could easily rip you apart, all for other people's enjoyment."

She pauses, then nods and settles down with her head in her paws. _Yeah, you're right. Sorry._

I close the door behind me and grab the garbage bag from the kitchen, tying it in a knot and slinging it over my shoulder. I'll take this to the curb, then I'll go to the library.

I still have a little more research to do.

_**CHAPTER EIGHT**_

I dump the bag next to the other trash bins and start to jog towards the library. It's a cold night and I forgot my jacket inside, so I'm half jogging for warmth and half jogging because it feels good. I haven't ran, really ran, since our last track meet in October...you're supposed to train in the winter and stuff, but I see no need. It isn't like I eat a lot and speed just comes naturally to me.

"Hey, Dash!"

I curse and slow down. "Yeah?"

Owen and Cheryl catch up to me. Surprisingly, Owen's gang isn't with him...but that makes me more nervous than if they were all there wearing brass knuckles. They could be anywhere.

"We need you to do us a favor." Cheryl says it with a sneer, looking me up and down disapprovingly.

_Why the hell should I do you a favor? What have you ever done for me?! _"Yeah?"

Owen hands me a small plastic card. I look down at it. What I recognize as my school picture stares up at me, next to a bunch of information about my height and weight and age...22.

"Is this...a fake ID?"

They nod. "We need drinks for the party tonight, but all the liquor stores know who we are and they know that we're not twenty one." Owen explains.

"So...you made me a fake ID."

They nod again.

"I'm not going to buy alcohol for you." I hand the card back, glad that for once, I can say what I mean. "I'm doing something."

"But you could pass as someone older!" Owen catches my shoulder as I start to turn away. "And it'll only take ten minutes, come on, dude."

I shake my head. "Sorry."

He glances at Cheryl and she steps forward with a stupid looking pout. "Please, Dash? We won't tell anyone...we won't even tell them you were at that fight on Wednesday..."

Oh, so that's it. Blackmail. I mentally punch myself for ever going to that fight in the first place.

"Fine." I grab the card.

"Great, thanks." Owen grins his you-can't-be-mad-at-me grin. "Here's some money and the list of what we need."

I glare at the both of them and stalk away, no longer in the mood for running. I pass the library on my way and I look at it wistfully, wishing, as I often did as a kid, that I could just live there all the time.

The liquor store isn't far from my neighborhood...prime location, some might say, with all our drunks. It's a crummy little store with a blue roof that smells like beer even from the outside. Still, I can't risk calling Owen's bluff...if someone found out I was at the fight, I'd get arrested and the last thing Wood needs is to spend extra cash on bail. Besides, they might connect me with the animal that went missing and then it would be curtains for Tanya too. Buying booze, even with a fake ID, is safer.

My heart is beating unnaturally fast as I gather the different drinks from the list. The cashier, a fat ugly man who looks like he hasn't shaved in weeks, keeps eying me suspiciously and though I'm trying my best to appear casual, it's hard to do while every nerve in my body is buzzing.

Finally, I have everything and I walk up to the counter.

"ID?"

I shrug and pull it out of my back pocket, willing my hands not to shake as I hand it to him.

He studies me, then the card, then me, then the card again.

"Okay, that'll be sixty five even." He hands it back to me and rings up the price.

I pay him and smile as I take the bag. "Thank you."

He nods and grunts something.

As I push open the door, it's all I can do not to faint in relief. I walk quickly back towards where I left Owen and Cheryl – I'd run, but I'd be afraid of breaking the bottles. Finally, I catch sight of them making out in a corner. I clear my throat.

Owen stands up quickly. "Thanks, Dash. See? That wasn't so hard."

"Yeah, you could do it again sometime." Cheryl peers in the bag, making sure everything is there.

I was afraid they'd try to do something like this...trap me with blackmail and force me to do their dirty work for them. I'm all prepared to make a long speech about not being a doormat anymore, but Owen shakes his head.

"You don't need to do it again, Dash, not if you don't want to."

That's Owen's trick. He makes himself likeable and you find yourself _wanting_ to do things for him and soon enough, you can't think for yourself and you follow him around with a bunch of other goons, laughing at his jokes.

It almost works on me.

But I manage to smile and wave as I walk away, snapping the ID in half in my pocket. I sort of regret it as soon as I do – now I'll never be able to sneak into a bar with Wood – but I shake my head and tell myself not to be stupid.

_Besides,_ I think, jogging towards the library again. _That was a terrible picture of me._

I don't really find anything at the library. I had almost convinced myself that another look at that mysterious book would explain everything, but it's still just as confusing. I can't make out what's under the scribbles of marker and though I find a picture of the bird Rock and I saw earlier, the top of the page is ripped, obscuring its name.

In fact, there's only one species I can find a name for in the entire book. It's a little yellow thing, almost like a cross between a mouse and a rabbit, with a lightning-shaped tail. The name looks Japanese again, and I forget about it soon, as I've had no contact with that particular creature.

After admitting to myself that I won't find anything useful in the book, I head home, running most of the way. I want to get there before Wood, or at least before he starts doing anything.

I take the stairs two at a time and stop right outside the door. I don't hear any conversation, but I don't hear any..._other_ noises either. Maybe they're not here yet. As a precaution, I knock.

"Come in!"

The reply is immediate, so I probably didn't interrupt anything. I turn the knob and step inside, carefully closing the door behind me.

They're sitting on the couch, still in their jackets – they must have gotten here moments before I did. She has a blanket over her legs and Wood has an arm around her shoulders, trying to warm her up. She's nice looking...kind of a pointy nose, but a nice face.

"Dan, this is Amelia. Amelia, this is my nephew, Dan."

Her teeth are chattering, but she smiles at me. I smile back, liking her already.

"Nice to meet you." I wave and start towards my room, but not before lifting an eyebrow and winking at Wood.

He rolls his eyes and makes a face.

I open my door and have to stick out my leg to keep Tanya from running out into the hall. "Hey, hey, hey, not yet. We have company today." I nudge her away with my foot and close the door. "Later."

She whines softly and gives me the most pathetic look I've ever seen.

"Tanya..." I bend down and risk touching her head. "Later, I promise."

She sighs and nips at my hand. She gets me too, which seems to make her feel better.

I make a face at her as I open my closet and get my guitar. It used to be Wood's a long time ago and since he had never actually learned how to play it, he gave it to me when I was eleven. I taught myself how to play and I can never resist a chance to show off around strangers. I tighten the tuning pegs and take the pick from the strings, hoping Amelia will be able to hear me.

When it's properly tuned, I start to play. It's one of the first songs I ever learned to play on guitar, one of my dad's favorite songs. In fact, thinking back on it now, I think this was the song we all danced to in that big room, years ago.

From the living room, I hear Amelia say, "Is that your nephew? He's really good!"

Wood mutters something too quietly for me to make out. Probably complaining about me.

"I know that song...I can't remember the title, but..." Suddenly, she starts to sing.

She has a beautiful voice, and I concentrate on matching her perfectly, getting so caught up in the music that I almost don't notice when she stops.

"I'm sorry...are you okay?"

My hand stops moving and I quiet the strings with my palm, realizing what must have happened. It was my dad's favorite song, after all, and sometimes it even made me cry. Wood must have gotten upset too...but chicks were supposed to dig vulnerability...maybe it would work to his advantage.

I switch songs and start playing a soft romantic ballad instead. I've only learned it recently and I have to focus on each note to get it right, so I don't hear anything else from the living room.

When I'm done (which is a while later, it's a long ballad), I let the last chord reverberate for a minute before putting the guitar down. I start to stand up – and almost fall over.

Tanya is curled up on my feet, purring softly.

I smile and bend down, scratching her behind the ear.

She growls quietly in her sleep, and I quickly pull my hand away.

She purrs louder.

I open the door to the apartment quietly and look around. Tanya pokes her head through my legs and sniffs the air, then trots in with an air of confidence. I take this to mean they're asleep, or at least not paying attention to the rest of the world.

I reach down to undo the new leash from around her neck and manage to scratch her behind the ear without getting bitten. She gives me a scathing look, though, and I back up a couple of steps.

She was good outside. We didn't walk all the way to the park – it was way too cold for that – but she had fun chasing a few stray snowflakes and melting patches of ice with her paw.

It was fun to watch her, but now I'm freezing and I make myself a cup of hot chocolate. As I take it out of the microwave, almost scalding my fingers, my stomach growls and I remember how hungry I am. I haven't eaten anything all day, except for the movie popcorn and I open the fridge, hoping to find something actually edible.

There's a half-eaten slice of pizza (who knows how old it is), a bag of meatballs...oh! And in one of the drawers, there's a microwave burrito. _Jackpot!_ I pop it in and set the time, sipping my hot chocolate and burning my tongue.

All of a sudden, a door creaks.

I whirl around, heart racing. There's only two doors in this apartment, and that wasn't from my room, so it has to be –

Wood smiles sleepily. "Hey."

I cast an anxious glance toward where Tanya was, just a second ago, sniffing at the couch. She's gone. The color drains from my face.

Then, I force myself to act normal and smile back at Wood. "Hey. How is it?"

He walks over to the small kitchen window and rests his elbows on the counter, staring at the sky. "Awesome. Better than I ever could have imagined..."

My burrito beeps and I take it out, sliding it onto a plate. "So...I assume she's not cold anymore?"

He shakes his head and lets out a little happy sigh.

He's distracted, so I look around for Tanya. It's so dark, I can barely see anything, but I catch sight of her slinking down the hallway to my room and it's all I can do not to collapse in relief.

"Well..." Wood straightens up. "I'd better get back before she misses me."

I gather up my plate and my cup. "Me too."

Luckily, he's too in love to realize what I just said.

_**CHAPTER NINE**_

The next day is Sunday and I sleep in til about one o' clock. I would sleep longer, but when the door to my room flies open with a slam, I sit bolt upright and Tanya dives under the bed with a little yip. My heart is in my throat and I have to blink several times before I can actually see who it is.

It's Melissa. Her face streaked with tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I get up and walk over to her, grateful that I don't sleep in my boxers.

"I – " She tries to start, but can't.

We sit down on the edge of the bed, and I put a comforting arm around her. "Hey, Mel, it's me. It's all right, you can tell me." I'm so worried now, I don't even care that I haven't put on deodorant yet.

"It's – It's Rock, he – " She bursts into tears and can't go on.

"Shh, it's okay...is he all right? Did anything happen to him?"

She shakes her head and pulls out a phone, moving her thumbs rapidly over the keyboard. A few times, she has to stop and wipe her eyes so she can see, but when she's finished, she hands the phone to me and buries her face in my pillows.

I read what she typed. _I was with Rock this mrning and i had his phone and i ws looking at my messages 2 him and i found a bunch from Gina and they wer planning to "meet up and make out" this weekend..._

"Oh no..." I murmur softly, setting the phone down and putting a hand on her back. Rock is my buddy, my best friend...he wouldn't do something like this! I mean, sure, we can all get a little stupid sometimes, but... "Did you talk to him about it?"

She shakes her head. For the first time, I notice how cold she feels and realize she must have run all the way here from her or Rock's house...poor girl...

Still, I know Rock isn't this malicious. "Mel, I'm sure he had a good reason..."

She props herself up on her elbows and glares at me, face red and hair mussed. "SIX. MONTHS."

My brow furrows. "What?"

"I went through the rest of their messages...and...and that's how long it's been going on." She takes a deep, shuddering breath. "Six months."

Now that I think about it, that's about when Rock started acting weird. He must have hooked up with Gina over the summer. I don't know much about Gina, except that she's very quiet and doesn't attract much attention. Why would Rock go for her? Why would Rock ever do anything to hurt Melissa in the first place?!

"If he...he had just l-let me go..." She sits up and hiccups. "I would have been...been sad, but I'd be...be over it by now. Ins-stead, he lied to me for half...half a year..." She clamps a hand over her mouth, but not fast enough to muffle a loud sob.

"Oh, Melissa..." I wrap my arms around her and let her cry into my chest, allowing myself one small feeling of victory that she is now available.

Tanya pokes her head out from under the bed and looks at me with curiosity.

I shake my head emphatically.

She ignores me and climbs onto Melissa's lap.

Melissa doesn't even notice anything odd, though, just hugs Tanya and cries harder. I wince, expecting Melissa to lose an arm or something, but Tanya just licks her hand and snuggles closer.

My initial panic is gone, replaced with total shock.

Tanya gives me a smug look. _It's only you I don't like._

My shock is gone, replaced with the usual exasperation.

After Melissa calms down a little, she notices Tanya for the first time. "Is this the stray dog you were talking about?" She strokes the animal's head. "Why does she have four tails?"

I start to get nervous again. "Well, she's uh...a different kind of dog."

"She almost looks like a fox." Tanya closes her eyes and purrs.

"It's just the breed." I hurriedly try to change the subject. "Did you see Wood when you came in?"

Melissa shakes her head. "What's her name?"

I sigh. Clearly, there's no chance to get off the topic. "Tanya. After...after my mother. And she's not a dog, she's a Nonextant." I don't know what I'm saying. The words are coming out of my mouth before I can stop them.

"A what?" Melissa moves closer. "And your mother?"

I shrug. "What about Rock? Do you wanna talk about him?"

Her face hardens and she shoves the phone she's been holding into my hand. "I don't ever want to talk about him again. Give him his phone back so I don't smash it with a hammer." She sets Tanya on the floor and puts a hand on my shoulder. "I wanna talk about you now, Dash."

I literally get lost in her eyes for a minute.

Then I blink and clear my throat. "Ab-About what?"

"You! How you found the animal, why you named her after your mother..." She moves her hand to rest on mine. "Just about you! Whenever we talk, we talk about me and I feel bad."

My throat is suddenly very dry and my hand tenses up involuntarily. This girl has a strong effect on me. "I – I like talking about you!"

She fixes me with one of her _don't-argue-with-me _looks.

I sigh. "I found her a couple of weeks ago, outside the gym – "

She gasps. "Were you at a fight?!"

I wince. "Kind of."

"I thought you hated them!"

"I did! I do! I just – " I sigh again. "Anyway. There was a raid and – "

"_What?!_"

I catch her wrist before she can hit my head. "Look, just let me tell the story, okay? I know I _could've_ gotten arrested, but I didn't, so relax, okay?"

She narrows her eyes, but lets me go on.

"Anyway, I found her, and I couldn't just let her die out there, so...I brought her home and I'm taking care of her...Rock brought all this stuff, and we found a little park where I take her occasionally and she seems to be kind of happy..." She still looks skeptical and I start to feel indignant. "Well, I couldn't just let her die!"

She opens her mouth, then closes it and smiles. "I know. You're not that kind of person. You didn't get arrested and you're careful with her – right?" I nod. "So it's okay. And she doesn't seem that dangerous anyway."

Tanya rubs her head against Melissa's leg.

"But...why your mother?"

I instinctively fall silent. I can't help it...the words just won't come out.

She puts an arm around my shoulders. "Hey, Dash, it's me. It's all right, you can tell me."

I chuckle, recognizing my words from before. "I know. It's just..."

"Hard to talk about?" She gives me a sympathetic squeeze. "I'm sorry, we don't have to..."

I shake my head. "No, it's fine."

She looks at me expectantly.

I take a deep breath. "My parents were both scientists, really smart, famous scientists and they loved Nonextants. And even though the government was already pushing for Nonextants to be outlawed, my parents protested whenever they could… they knew that the animals could be useful." This is the first time I've actually said what I thought and I have to admit, it feels pretty good. "But one day, when I was about three, they were killed on a field expedition by a Nonextant, which pretty much made up the government's mind. Wood – he's my dad's brother – doesn't like to talk about them...and he hates Nonextants more than anything. So far, he doesn't know about Tanya, but..." I trail off.

She's silent for a minute. "So, if your mom was alive today, you think she'd be okay with you keeping it?"

I nod. "She'd be ecstatic. And so would my dad."

"So I think it's a very good name!" She hugs me. "And I'll help with her if you need me to."

I love this girl. I _LOVE _this girl.

Before I can even hug her back, though, the front door to the apartment slams.

We both stand up quickly and Tanya darts under the bed again.

"That's probably Wood." I open the door and let Melissa go into the hall ahead of me. "He had a hot date last night."

"Hot, nothing. Scalding." Wood grins at us. "Hi, Melissa. Finally give up on Rock?" From behind her, I wave my arms and shake my head frantically, but he doesn't see me. "It's about time."

She doesn't seem to mind. "Yes I did. And I'm surprised it took me this long."

He just laughs and flops down on the couch. "So are the rest of us, girlie."

I shake my head, losing what little faith I had in my clueless uncle. "So where were you this morning? It took a pretty long time to take her home."

"She um...lives on the other side of town." He winks.

Melissa giggles. "So was she nice? You think it's gonna go anywhere?"

He nods. "I'm crossing my fingers...but she seems to like me and we had such a good time..." He sighs happily.

Melissa echoes his sigh. "Wood, I really hope it works. That would be great."

Wood nods.

"I gotta go now though. See ya tomorrow, Dash!" She waves and is gone.

We stare after her and then speak at the same time.

"You should've kissed her."

"I should've kissed her." I shake my head and punch myself in the leg.

He gets up and starts to make himself some coffee. "So what's up with her and Rock?"

"Rock's been cheating on her for the last six months." I'm still punching myself. "She found out today and he doesn't know that she found out."

He whistles. "That's pretty bad. What are you gonna do?"

"Um." _Punch._ "Be there for her as a friend?"

He rolls his eyes. "Casanova, you need some serious romance lessons."

Before he can give me Lesson No. 1 though, there's a knock on the door. We glance at each other.

"Did she leave something here?"

"I don't think so..." I cross the floor and open the door.

"Hi!" Rock grins at me and looks over my shoulder. "Melissa cut our date short, so I thought I'd drop in."

Wood slips out the still-open door. "I'm leaving before the fireworks. Try not to break anything."

Rock watches him go, then turns back to me. "What does he mean, fireworks? And – "

All the emotion I've been bottling up for the last year flies out with my fist. I feel it connect with his jaw and it feels good.

He straightens. "What was that for?"

I hit him again. I know it's a stupid idea – he's bigger than me and has pinned me before – but I'm so angry, I don't care. "You fucking bastard! You – told – her – you – loved – her!" With every word, I smack him with the closest thing I can grab, which, luckily for him, is a couch pillow. "You – told – me – to – stay – away – you – told – me – she – was – happy! You are the biggest fucking idiot I've ever met!"

He's on the floor and I stare at him, panting, while he gets to his feet, rubbing his chin. "How did you know?"

"She told me." My voice is cold.

"Gina?"

"No. The other one. The one you said I couldn't have because she was your 'soul mate.'"

"Dash..." He takes the pillow out of my hands and puts it back on the couch. "I can explain, all right? I can explain."

I fold my arms. "Go."

"I...I just..." He drums his fingers on his collarbone and sighs. "I thought I could get away with it."

"Great explanation, Rock." I turn away.

"Dash..."

"Here's your phone." I toss it over my shoulder without looking, but I don't hear a crash so he must have caught it.

"Thanks."

There's a long pause.

"Can I just see – "

"No, you can't see Tanya. She loves Melissa even more than I do, if that's possible, and she won't be afraid to kill you." I'm almost on the brink of crying. "God, I hate you, Rock. Not so much because you did this, but because you lied to both of your best friends about it." I'm glad I'm not facing him; my eyes are full of tears. "That was six months I had without her, six months being the awkward third wheel and not getting a date for the dances." I stop myself before I sob. "You suck."

I hear the noise of scuffing feet. "I know. I'm sorry. I don't deserve her. Or you." He starts to walk away.

"And I'm telling Gina."

He stops. "What?"

"She deserves to know too. If you don't tell her, I will."

"I can't just – Dash, please! I won't have anyone!"

"Then you'll know how I felt." I stalk to my bedroom and slam my door as hard as I can.

_**CHAPTER TEN**_

I wait a couple of minutes until the about-to-cry feeling goes away and I hear Rock slam the door. Then I call to Tanya, who pokes her head out from under my blankets.

"We're going to go to that park again, okay?"

She jumps to the floor and wags her tails.

"And I've got an idea, so I won't have to smuggle you under my coat." I dig around in a pile of stuff next to my dresser and pull out my green backpack. I used it back in grade school and it's too small and dorky looking now, but it's just the right size for Tanya. "Here. You can ride in this."

She looks at it doubtfully.

"I promise I won't run or jostle you too much..."

She still doesn't look convinced.

"Here." I throw a couple of dog biscuits in the bag. "And I'll give you some roast beef when we get home."

She rolls her eyes at me, as if she knows that there isn't any roast beef in the house, but crawls into the bag anyway.

I pick it up and carefully fit my arms through the straps. After a minute of shifting and wiggling, we both find a comfortable position and I walk slowly down the stairs and out into the streets.

"So why do you like Melissa so much?" I murmur quietly. "Is it because she's a girl and the people who abused you were men, or something like that?"

"Who are you talking to?"

I jump a little and turned around. Owen grins at me, holding Cheryl's hand and one of his gang members lurking about twenty feet away.

Cheryl glares, apparently not over the whole fake ID thing. "What's that?"

I feel a cold nose on my cheek as Tanya pokes her head over my shoulder. I curse at her under my breath. "Just...a stray dog I found. I'm going to go give it back to its owner right now."

Owen nods. "Kind of a weird looking dog..."

"It's a mutt." I take a step back.

"Looks kind of familiar..." Cheryl takes a step forward.

"Probably because it's been sniffing around here for the last two weeks." I push Tanya's head back into the backpack and debate making a run for it. I decide not to, though, because Owen's bodyguard would catch me sooner or later.

"Hey, Dash, can we come with you when you return that?"

Owen says it casually, and I can't be sure if he suspects anything, but my heart is beating crazy loud anyway. "I uh..." I think fast. "Yeah, you can. Gina's house isn't far."

They stop.

Gina's dad is the chief of police and has met Owen and Cheryl on several occasions. It wouldn't be good for them to cross his line of vision, let alone visit his house.

Owen's smile doesn't slip a notch. "Well, maybe not then. But there's a fight tonight, 6:30. Gonna be there?"

The word "fight" makes Tanya whimper and I shove my elbow into the bag to quiet her. "I...thought the gym was..."

He shakes his head. "Nah, they got it up and running again. Can you make it?"

"I'll see." I promise, backing up a few steps. When it's obvious they're not going to follow me, I turn and jog slowly towards Gina's house. I _do_ have to go there and anyway, the park is nearby. Rock must have been looking for her house when he found it.

"Okay, stay in the bag now." I whisper as I ring the doorbell. "Don't even stick your paw out."

I ignore an angry swipe across my back as Gina opens the door. She's wearing a pair of pajama pants and a low cut tank top and immediately, I realize what Rock saw in her. Wow.

"Oh...hi, Dash." She sounds a little confused. I don't blame her, I've never come to her house before.

"Hi, Gina." I give her a little smile, trying to keep my eyes on her face. "I know this is a little weird, but I figured it would be better to tell you here..."

She shivers in the cold air. "Tell me what?"

"Um..." Suddenly, this is awkward. "It's...about Rock."

She glances over her shoulder and steps outside, closing the door behind her. "What about him?"

_Damn, this is gonna be hard..._ "Well...he asked you out at the end of school last year, right?"

"Roughly, yeah. Why?"

I almost don't say anything. But she's a nice girl and she deserves the truth. "Well...he's been going out with Melissa since last January."

"Missy?" She screws up her face, confused, but slowly, realization dawns. "He's been...cheating on me?"

"I don't blame if you if you don't believe me!" I add hurriedly. "He can be a great guy. But Melissa just found out today and I thought you deserved to know too. Talk to him about it...maybe he'll give you a better story than he gave me." A note of bitterness creeps into my voice before I can stop it.

She stares into the distance above my head. "He went out with both of us...for six months?"

"Like I said, I don't blame you if you don't believe me."

She shakes her head. "You don't lie. You're a good guy, Dash."

"Thanks." I take a step away from the door. "And you're a good girl...I'm sorry."

She sighs and opens the door again.

I allow myself one last glance at her skimpy shirt, then stride quickly away towards the park. I climb under the barrier and let Tanya out of the backpack as soon as I'm positive no one can see us.

While she rolls in the grass, I lean against one of the trees, enjoying the strangely warm air and thinking about whether to forgive Rock or not. He was a scumbag, true, but he was also my buddy. It was a stupid thing to do, but he probably regrets it right about now. I resolve to stay angry at him for another week before letting him off the hook.

My thoughts drift elsewhere...where and when I'll be able to do my Christmas shopping, what Gina and Rock did, a poem for Melissa, Wood's girlfriend, how to write my essay that I haven't started...

Tanya pads over to me, carrying a stick in her mouth and wagging her tails.

"Fetch? You play fetch?" I tug the stick out of her mouth. "Cool." I throw it as hard as I can.

She glares at me and runs off, bringing it back with the same dirty look on her face. She sets it down in front of me and wags her tails again.

I pick it up and throw it more gently this time, so it only lands a couple of yards away.

She glowers at me again and retrieves it, placing it right in my hand with a bark. When I raise my hand to throw it, she flattens her ears and growls. I lower it again and she wags her tails.

"Is this...for me?"

She nods and yips, pushing her head into my hand and letting me scratch her ears.

"Thanks!"

She draws back and licks her paw modestly. _Think nothing of it, peasant._

"...some traits, like extra toes or dwarfism, are just glitches in the genetic code and do not get passed down to offspring. Any questions?"

There aren't any. My Biology class is trying hard to stay awake.

Then, Melissa raises her hand. "What are Nonextants, then?"

My heart skips a beat, but I manage to force myself not to look at her.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Blaine's voice has a warning tone in it, cautioning Melissa not to press the subject.

Melissa does anyway. "Well, are they mutants that eventually evolved into different species or are they man-made or what?"

The teacher glances at me, but I shrug to indicate that it's not a big deal.

She sighs. "Nonextants were a small group of diverse species, bred especially for battling. They evolve unnaturally quickly, though only to one or two other different forms. Sometimes that evolution can be sparked by sudden changes in environment or, in rare cases, a certain type of mineral. Are there any other questions?"

Melissa persists. "But where did they come from?"

"I'm not sure." Mrs. Blaine turns around to write the homework on the board. "No one really is."

"How did – "

"Melissa, they are practically extinct, may I please move on!"

Melissa and I exchange looks.

Hers says : _I tried._

I smile. _Thanks._

Eventually, the bell rings and we meet outside the classroom. "You think I raised suspicion?" She asks, hoisting her backpack over one shoulder.

"Nah."

"It's weird how everyone thinks they're almost extinct, even though they're so close."

I shrug. "It's kind of like drugs, right? You know they exist, but unless you're mixed up with the stoners, you don't know how common they are."

She thinks a second and nods. "Good analogy."

We walk to the cafeteria in silence, deciding against sitting outside as it's bitter cold and windy, and take seats at an abandoned table in the corner.

"He has detention again." Melissa mutters before I can even ask the question. "He's still serving the ones from Friday. You know what he kept getting detention for?"

I shake my head and check my backpack for a lunch I know isn't there.

"Making out with Gina." She twists the cap off her bottle angrily. "Apparently, it was 'graphic and completely inappropriate' and he wouldn't stop doing it." She stares off into the distance. "And he never even hugged me in the hallway..."

I straighten and lean in to put an arm around her shoulders.

She squeezes the bottle suddenly and I jerk back just in time to avoid the water that splashes out of the top onto the floor behind us. We look at each other and laugh, the tension gone.

"Hey, do you wanna meet up later?" I ask. "I could show you the park I told you about."

"Sure! Sounds fun."

"Guys, wait, I have – " Then, there's a thud and I turn to see Rock on his back, rubbing his head where it hit the floor.

"Caution, wet floor." I turn around again without meeting his gaze.

Melissa has the tiniest hint of a smile on her face as she sips from her half-empty water bottle.

_**CHAPTER ELEVEN**_

I rush home from school that day, mostly to get out of the cold and the snow. I didn't bring a jacket or anything and my thin sweatshirt is getting soaked.

When I finally make it inside, I dump my wet shirt and my backpack somewhere near the radiator and call to Tanya. My bedroom door is open a crack and she soon trots out, wagging her tails.

"Hiya." I rub the top of her head and she purrs. Amazing how far we've come. "You wanna go to the park with Melissa?"

She barks happily and spins in a circle, radiating heat in her happiness.

I laugh and give her a bowl of kibble while I get ready to go. I still don't feel comfortable having Melissa over here, so I'm going to go pick her up – but like I said, it's freezing outside and my sweatshirt isn't going to cut it.

I grab a jean vest out of my closet (it used to be my dad's and it's actually really warm), a pair of gloves from the floor and the first hat I find, which is my red and white baseball cap.

_Oh well._ I look at myself in the mirror. _This'll have to do._

Tanya finishes her meal and I coax her into my backpack, making sure she's okay before setting off.

The cold air hits me like a wave as soon as I step out the door, despite Tanya's heat on my back. The snow has mostly stopped now, but few stray flakes still swirl around. I shiver and put on the gloves, groaning inwardly as I realize they're fingerless.

I run almost all the way to Melissa's house, keeping one hand on the backpack to keep it steady and I'm breathing hard by the time I ring her doorbell. Maybe I _should_ start training in the winter.

Her little brother, Erik, answers the door. "Whaddya want?"

I'm about to flip him off, but Melissa pushes him out of the way before I can. "Hi Dash. Sorry about the pest. We're looking into exterminators."

I chuckle and start to walk with her. Tanya's scratching angrily at my back, but she's warmer too and the cold seems less intense for now.

"So...what are you guys doing for Christmas?" Melissa fiddles with the zipper of her jacket, trying to get a grip with her thick gloves.

I reach over and zip it up for her, hands tingling at being so close to her chest. "I don't know. Probably nothing big. That's assuming Wood doesn't have to work."

"He works on Christmas?!" She exclaims. "What does he even do?"

I shrug. I guess I've never talked to Melissa about this. "He works at a lab...he's a trained scientist and stuff, with all kinds of degrees, but they have so many there and it's one of the only places that hires scientists so they pay shit. That's why..." I trail off.

She nods. "Do you know what he..._does_ there?"

"Besides flirt with Amelia?" I shrug again. "Not really."

"Oh..."

"It's not too bad!" I add hurriedly, not wanting to seem like the poor kid who has a miserable holiday. "We get each other presents and have fun and stuff!"

She smiles. "I know. And you always manage to get us presents too..." She stares off into the distance and her face darkens a little.

"What?"

"Nothing it's just..." She suddenly bends down, scoops up a handful of snow from one of the few remaining snowdrifts and hurls it furiously at a telephone pole where it hits with a _piff_. "I already got_ him_ his Christmas present and I'm going to give it to him _anyway – _" _Piff._ "– even though he _lied _to me –" _Piff. _"– because I'm a better _person_…" The next snowball doesn't even hit the pole.

She looks like she's about to cry and we don't talk again until we get to the entrance to the park.

"Whoa..." She ducks under the barrier. "This is weird..."

I nod, following her. "Yeah."

"It's all...warm and..." She shrugs off her jacket and gloves. "And the grass is so long and...there's no snow..."

"Yeah." I bend down and let Tanya out of the backpack. She gives me a vicious glare and trots over to Melissa, rubbing her head against her leg.

Melissa giggles and scratches behind her ears. "Is she like this to everyone?"

I sit back against a tree, rolling up my sweatshirt sleeves in the pleasant warmth. "No, just you." I bite back the flirtatious remark on my lips before I remember I can actually say it now.

"Yay! Someone loves me! I feel special."

Okay, now I _really_ want to say it.

But before I can, Tanya starts towards the long grass and, wondering if the little bird will come back, I get to my feet and follow her, with Melissa trailing behind me.

Nothing really happens for a little while. Tanya sniffs around and I try to brush against Melissa as many times I can without making it obvious.

Then, the grass in front of us rustles and a small, purple mouse with sharp-looking teeth scurries out.

_Why do these things always look so mad?_ I twist my hat around, so I can see without the rim blocking my view.

Behind me, Melissa gasps. "What _is_ that thing?!"

"It's another Nonextant." Tanya's getting into a fighting stance and the mouse is chittering agitatedly. "A different one jumped out at her when me and Rock first came here. I think I know what to do." I clear my throat. "Ember."

A stream of flame shoots out of Tanya's mouth and hits the mouse, who remains standing for a minute, then sways and falls. Tanya sits up, looking very pleased with herself. It could be my imagination, but she also looks the tiniest bit bigger too.

Melissa gasps again, peeking over my shoulder. "Holy crap, did she kill it?!"

I fix my hat. "Nah, it only fainted. That's what happened last time too."

She knelt down next to Tanya, petting her, but still staring at the mouse. "How...how did you know what to say? I mean...was that a command or something?"

I shrugged. "I guess so. I read it in a book, but most of the writing was scribbled or torn out."

"Weird..." She blinks and stands up again, tearing her eyes away from the mouse. "Hey, can I read the book? I might be able to figure some other words out."

I start to walk back towards the entrance. "I doubt it, but we could try."

"Hey." She jogs so that she's walking next to me. "I live with Erik, remember? I have years of practice reading things that he's scribbled on."

I laugh. "Okay, good point."

We reach the tree where we left our things and as she bundles herself up again and I try to coax Tanya back into the backpack, I notice Melissa looking at me with a little half-smile.

"What?" I stand up and carefully put the backpack straps over my shoulders.

"You look good in that outfit."

I glance down at myself, as if I'll see whatever appeals to her. "I do?"

"Yeah. You...you look like you." She punches me on the shoulder gently and starts towards the entrance.

I follow her with a grin and decide to never change again.

"...okay, now you gotta be quiet for a little while. There are other people in there and they're not nice like us."

Melissa's whispering this to my backpack, since Tanya will probably listen to her better than she listens to me. Then again, she barely listens to me at all anyway.

We push open the doors of the library and, after waving to the librarian, I lead Melissa to the bookshelf where I had found the book.

"Is this it?" She pulls it off the shelf, barely even looking.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

She shrugs and opens it. "It's the least handled."

We sit down and I move closer to her, partly to read over her shoulder and partly to brush my leg against hers. "They've got pictures for each one. Hers is a little less than halfway through."

Melissa flips through, passing pages with pictures of the purple mouse and the angry bird until she reaches Tanya's picture, page 37. "Ah, here we go." She leans closer. "Okay, so I see "ember" and "tail whip"...and above that, it says "techniques", so maybe it's kind of a trick..."

"Or an attack." I can't help but remember the fights.

"...I can't read anything else over there except the evolution thing. Oh wait..." She leans even closer and squints. "It says it's a fire...thing...and that it's really rare."

"Well, that was kind of obvious." I touch a hand to my warm backpack. "We already knew she was a fire thing."

"Maybe if I read the rest of the book, it'll make sense..." She starts to turn the page, but footsteps make us scramble to our feet and shove the book back onto the shelf.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything..." The librarian smiles knowingly, as if she's sure we were making out. "But I thought you might find this interesting, Dan." She hands me a new book by one of my favorite authors.

I take it and try to slow my heartbeat. "Thanks. Can I check it out now, or do I need my card?"

She winks. "I think I can trust you."

I thank her and we leave, trying not to call attention to ourselves at any cost. I think at one point, I forget to breathe.

"That's scary." Melissa lets out a sigh. "If Tanya had made any noise..."

I don't even want to think about it. "I know."

She suddenly turns to me and hugs me hard. "Dash, you're so good...rescuing her and being such a good friend to me and just being a...such a good kid..."

I'm going to kiss her. _Come on, turn your head just a little bit..._

"You are just the nicest guy ever...thank you so much."

I'm leaning closer, my body actually obeying my brain for once. _Yessss, I'm gonna do it!_

She pulls away. "I'll see you later, okay? Bye!"

I watch her go.

"I hate myself."

Tanya shifts inside the backpack, as if agreeing with me.

I jog home slowly and manage to get Tanya into my bedroom five minutes before Wood slams the front door noisily.

"Honey, I'm hooome!"

I carefully close my own door behind me. "You're happy. That's weird."

He shrugs and throws his coat at me. "I got to leave work early. I actually get to sleep at night for once! I'm excited!"

I throw his coat back at him and walk to the kitchen, opening the fridge to see if I can find anything remotely edible. "Sounds suspicious. Are you sure you're not fired?"

"Oh, ha, ha. Don't joke about that."

"Sorry." I find a can of soup and close the door, catching sight of my vague reflection in the stainless steel door of the fridge. "Hey, Wood, how do you think I look in this outfit?"

He barely looks at me. "What? You look like you."

I smile. "Good."

_**CHAPTER TWELVE**_

In the next couple of days, the teachers give up on actually teaching us anything and just show us videos of stuff that kind of relates to their topic, in the desperate hope that we might learn something. The snow melts to the perfect level – enough to be pretty, but not too much to shovel. Everyone's all hyped up on candy canes and talking excitedly all the time about what they're going to do over break and throwing snowballs at each other as soon as they get outside. I promise myself again and again to kiss Melissa under the mistletoe, but every time, I lose my nerve.

It's Christmas time.

Finally, the last bell rings and the school explodes. I manage to find Melissa and she promises to hang out with me over break, gives me a quick hug and a candy cane and then disappears into the crowd.

I make my way home, humming "Let It Snow" under my breath and fingering the unused mistletoe in my pocket.

Wood ends up not having to work on Christmas and in the days before, we decorate the apartment the way we do every year – dig out our two-foot, plastic Christmas tree, string a bunch of burned-out lights on the door and set up our headless Santa doll on the coffee table.

"Well, it's a lot of work..." Wood wipes his forehead in mock exhaustion. "But it's worth it."

I grin. Decorating took fifteen minutes.

On Christmas day, we wake up at noon, give each other the traditional Christmas noogies, eat our traditional Christmas feast of corn dogs and soda, and throw our presents at each other with the traditional Christmas finesse.

"It's a tie!" Wood rips off the wrapping paper. "Oh, hey it's a watch. Thanks!"

I laugh. He thinks it's a tie every year. "You don't even wear ties!" He gave me a couple of books and a package of beef jerky, which we're both sharing now.

He shrugs. "One of these days I might. What did you get Melissa?"

Every year, I want to give her a poem, but I never do and it ends up getting shoved in my secret place with all the others. "A little stuffed animal and some chocolate."

"That's pretty good."

"What did you get Amelia?"

At the mere mention of her name, a stupid smile spreads across his face. "Roses. They should be delivered today. I wrote something sweet on the card and...well, she deserves more, but she knows I can't really afford it..."

I lifted an eyebrow at him. "Better watch it...if she moves in here, we won't be able to have any more bachelor Christmases."

He just shrugs again. "Would it be that bad?"

Am I this pathetic around Melissa? Maybe it's genetic.

He goes over to Amelia's house later and, not expecting him back til morning, I grab a bag of stale chips and watch the Peanuts Christmas special until I fall asleep in front of the TV.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Tanya wakes me up by jumping on my stomach and barking at my face.

I sit bolt upright, throwing her off with a yip. I look around wildly for Wood and when I don't see him, I let out a relieved sigh.

"Sorry." I reach down to rub her head, but she growls at me angrily and yaps again.

"Shh...I have neighbors!" I yawn and stand up, shuffling to my room and giving her a bowl of kibble. She wags her tails as she eats and I can see she's not starving-skinny anymore. In fact, I might have to watch what I feed her.

The phone rings and I moan, making my way back to the living room in time to answer it on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hi."

I take the phone away from my ear and squint at the caller ID. It's Rock.

"What time is it?"

"It's...about eleven thirty. Why?"

_I gotta get an alarm clock. _"No reason." I rub my eyes and remember that I'm mad at him. "What do you want?"

"I just...thought we could train today? The roads are clear now and..."

I stay silent for a long time.

He sighs. "I'm sorry."

I still don't say anything. I don't know what to say. I miss him, but hanging out with him like everything's okay again would almost be like betraying Melissa.

He sighs again and hangs up.

I put the phone down and slide down the wall to the floor, staring at the opposite wall, deep in thought. He must feel pretty bad...but it serves him right for treating Melissa so badly. And Gina, too, for that matter. But...on the other hand...I know what it's like to feel alone. I know Rock has other friends, but I also know I'm his best friend and we're always there for each other. I don't know which friend to comfort, Melissa or Rock.

I'm so deep in thought that I don't notice Tanya until she licks my face.

"Ew!" I wipe my cheek, but I can't help but laugh as Tanya cocks her head at me. "Thanks. I needed that."

I stand up and follow her back to my room, where I get dressed in Melissa's favorite outfit. Rock was right about training...I should really take a run. Alone, though.

I make sure Tanya's settled before thudding down the stairs and starting my jog. I don't really pay attention to where I'm going...I just let my legs do the thinking for me.

It feels great to run again...it feels like all my thoughts melt away into just putting one leg in front of the other. I go as far as I can, until my toes start to get numb, then stop, look around to get my bearings and run back.

I slow to a walk about a block away from my building, my shoulder, for some reason, really sore. If Rock was here, he'd tell me it was because I didn't stretch.

I'm trying to get my breath when Owen and Cheryl appear from nowhere.

"Hi Dash." Owen grins.

I look at them warily. They seem innocent enough...in fact, the only thing out of the ordinary is that Cheryl's holding a cat. It's cream colored, except for the back legs, tail, and a little footprint shaped patch on its forehead, which are brown.

"Did you have a nice run?"

I nodded, still a little breathless. "Where..." I gesture at the cat. Now that I think about it, the patch on its forehead is more gold-ish.

"Oh, I've always had him." Cheryl shifts him in her arms. He doesn't resist. "We just took him to the vet for his checkup."

I nod, starting to walk towards the apartment. Owen waves goodbye and they turn away, but the cat watches me over Cheryl's shoulder, not blinking. Then, it turns slightly so it almost looks like it's whispering to her.

I shake my head. My imagination runs away with me way too often.

I take the stairs slowly, my thighs aching and almost hug the radiator once I get inside. _A winter jacket. An alarm clock and a winter jacket, that's what I need. _As I slowly warm upI notice that Wood's bedroom door is closed now and his shoes are by the front door. He must have gotten back while I was out.

Once I can kind of feel my fingers, I straighten up and head to my room.

Tanya's sitting on my dresser, sniffing at my mother's ring again. I snatch it away. "Hey, where did you get this? I thought I put it – " I turn...and freeze.

My nightstand cabinet is wide open and completely empty. Its contents are spread out over my bed and Melissa is sitting right in the middle of them. Right in the middle of every poem, every song and every lovesick piece of literary trash I've ever written about her over the last four years.

My mouth hangs open.

She looks up at me, eyes brimming with tears. "Dash, I...you...how...I..." She clamps a hand over her mouth and looks back down at the piece of paper in her lap.

I look at Tanya, who wags her tails and hops off my dresser, sitting down in front of me as if expecting a treat.

I ignore her and look back to my bed. There's all kind of stuff there...mostly poems and stuff, but also jewelry I had never given her, thinking it would be too romantic, pictures of her I had saved, some dried up dead flowers and a piece of that coat she had spilled paint on so long ago.

"Um..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry...this must seem...pretty creepy..."

She shakes her head and holds up a piece of paper. "Can you play this?"

I glance at it and, much to my relief, I see that it's one of my least sucky songs. I walk over to my closet and pull out my guitar, looping the strap around my shoulder. I strum a chord, then look up at her. "Um...do I have to sing too?"

She smiles tearfully and shakes her head.

I know the piece by heart, but I still have to work to get the notes right. As I play, I feel a little thrill at finally being able to do it in front of her...for her to know the way I feel about her. Then, I get caught up in the music and don't think of anything else.

Suddenly, I feel a hand on top of mine, stopping the sound. I look up.

And the girl of my dreams kisses me on the lips.

_**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**_

After a second, maybe two, she breaks away. "I'm sorry."

I stand up, put the guitar to the side, wrap my arms around her and kiss her again.

This one lasts longer, enough time for the thrill of adrenaline that the first kiss brought to die down a little and enough time for my mouth to become entirely familiar with hers. Soon, it feels like I've been kissing her forever.

I force myself to pull back and look into those gorgeous eyes. "You sure this isn't too soon?" I whisper, hands resting on her hips.

She smiles. "I'm sure. It's not."

I let out a sigh of relief and kiss her again.

"But..."

I pull away again, scared this time.

"Why did you keep this old picture of me? I look terrible."

I chuckle under my breath. "You looked beautiful. And you still do."

"Oh, Dash..."

The kisses become deeper and deeper until she loses her balance and we topple onto the bed, sending several sheets of paper sliding to the floor. We laugh and look into each other's eyes again.

"You're _sure _it's not too soon?"

She puts a finger over my lips. "I'm sure." Her eyes dart to the door. "Are we alone?"

"Wood's out there..." I'm pleasantly aware of her chest pressed against mine.

Her eyes come back to mine and a mischievous twinkle (which happens to be the subject of a nearby poem) appears in them. "The park?"

I nod and we get up, getting our stuff together in silence. Tanya's already curled up in the backpack, as if she knows what's coming and I slide the bag over my shoulders and open the window. We tiptoe down the fire escapes with nervous smiles – the first romantic act of rebellion of my life.

We don't say anything on the way to the park, but we both walk fast and make it there in a fraction of the time.

As soon as we duck under the chain at the entrance, Melissa explodes. "Oh, Dash...you're so sweet! Oh my god, I can't even believe I didn't see it before! You hid it well, I guess. I'm so sorry for all those thoughtless things I did to you...I was pretty awful...and you're just so...so...and..." She gestures uselessly and falls back onto the grass with a sigh. "You're a really good kisser..."

"Thanks." I smile and kneel down next to her, letting Tanya out and still trying to convince myself that this is really happening. "You're a _great_ kisser."

She sits up and kisses me so softly her lips barely brush mine. "How long did you – "

I wrap an arm around her waist, knowing I should keep an eye on Tanya but unable to pull my eyes away from this girl. "Ever since the sea has reached the shore, ever since the mountains have touched the sky..."

She punches me on the shoulder.

"...ever since 7th grade." I grin and tighten my grip on her waist.

"And you never...come here."

I can't explain how it feels to finally be able to do everything I've ever dreamed of doing with her. I'm finally able to curl my fingers around hers, to brush back her hair, to kiss her neck, to hold her...

Fifteen minutes later, we sit back and smile at each other, both severely out of breath.

"You know..." She wraps a piece of grass around her finger. "I think we should forgive Rock."

It's a relief to hear her say it. "Yeah."

"I mean, he's pretty lonely and even though he _deserves _it..." Her face darkens for a minute. "We're his friends. We should be there for him, right?"

"Right." I lean in and nuzzle her cheek. "As long as I don't have to stop doing this."

She giggles. "Never."

We sit, holding hands and watching Tanya chasing a weird-looking butterfly for a long while before we get up again. I call Tanya, get her into the backpack and squeeze Melissa's hand.

"This has been...one of the best days of my life." She hugs me. "Thanks."

"Thank _you_." Out of the corner of my eye, I see something moving in the long grass, but when I look again, there's nothing.

Wood's gone again by the time we get back to the apartment to drop off Tanya. I give Melissa her Christmas present and she promises to give me mine tomorrow.

"You've already – "

She puts a finger over my lips. "Don't say it."

I kiss her instead.

I walk her home and stop by the grocery store on my way back. I have a couple of dollars in my pocket and I get one of those microwave dinners – at least it's not stale pizza.

I jog back, guilty for ignoring Tanya for most of the day. _Well maybe, since she likes Melissa so much, she'll start liking me more. _

"Hey, Dash!"

I sigh. "Hi, Owen."

Cheryl's right by his side, as usual and still holding that cat. I still don't believe she's "always had it". Then again, I haven't seen much of her until recently.

Owen winks. "I heard about you and Missy. Nice going."

_How could he hear about it? It just happened! They weren't in the park, were they?_ "Uh...thanks."

Cheryl strokes the cat, which starts to purr. "There's a party at Sabrina's again. You should bring her."

For a second, I startle myself by almost saying yes. Then, I shake my head firmly and start to back away. "Thanks. Maybe some other time, though."

Owen nods and laughs. "One of these days, you'll have to come through, Dash! Otherwise, how can we trust you?"

I smile and turn away. "Trust me..." I mutter. "I don't expect you to."

I call Rock after I'm done with my dinner.

"Hey."

"Hey." I can almost hear his fingers drumming on his collarbone.

"Sorry about earlier." I don't know why I'm apologizing. Maybe to make him feel a little better. "I was still half-asleep."

"That's okay."

There's a pause.

I let out my breath, wishing this weren't quite so awkward. "You were right, you know. About me training. I'm a little out of shape."

"No, you're not."

"Well, I should be running more anyway. Do you think you could come over tomorrow and we can train a little?"

Another pause. I wonder if I should tell him about me and Melissa.

"Yeah, okay. I can be over by ten thirty. Make sure you're up by then." He's using his coach voice and it makes me smile.

"All right, see you then."

"Bye."

We hang up and I walk back to my room feeling like an enormous weight is lifted from my chest. Things might be a little strained with Rock and Melissa at first, but at least we're friends now. Everything will be normal again.

"_Fuhbix?_" Tanya purrs and wraps herself around my leg.

I chuckle and bend down to rub her head. "Well, almost normal."

_**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**_

"Did you do your homework?"

I wave a hand. "I have like another week, Wood, I'll be fine!"

He sighs. "You're never going to get into Harvard with that attitude."

I roll my eyes, struggling into my vest. "I'd never get into Harvard anyway. Not with my grades."

"Not with your face either." His grin fades. "Hey, I remember that vest. It was your dad's, right?"

I nod, feeling anxious. Tanya's already warm in the backpack and if Wood comes any closer, I'm afraid she might pop out.

_Shit._ He does come closer and touches the collar of the vest. "This is what Sam would wear every time we went biking. He was younger than you when he wore it...I guess he was built bigger." He grips my shoulders and holds me at arm's length. "You look good in it though."

"Okay, okay." I tug away, adjusting the brim of my hat in embarrassment. "No hugs, okay? I gotta go, Rock's waiting."

I feel a little bad as I jog down the stairs, but my heart is beating too fast for me to worry about it too much. If he _had_ hugged me and felt Tanya...I shake my head. I've got to be more careful. I've had too many close calls already.

Rock's waiting for me near the street. "Hey, you made it on time!"

I didn't, but he's trying to be nice. I smile. "Hi."

"What route are we going to run?"

I laugh. "We. You're funny. I run, you yell."

He makes a face. "Anyway. Where are _you_ running?"

"Um...well, I'm not. Not exactly. What time is it?"

"About quarter to eleven. Why?"

I start walking. Slowly. "Just wondering. We're not actually training today. Tanya's in my backpack and I don't want to jerk her around."

"Ah. So...the park?"

I nod.

We walk in comfortable silence for a little bit. It's just warm enough to feel comfortable in a light jacket and the snow is starting to melt...that's the most depressing part about the days after Christmas.

"Hey...Dash...I'm sorry."

I shrug. "It's okay."

"It's not though and..." He sighs, hand darting to his collar. "I'm sorry..."

This is getting awkward.

"Think fast!" I scoop up a handful of slush and wing it at him, hitting his leg.

He laughs and gets me back and we throw snowballs at each other all the rest of the way to the park, soaking and out of breath when we get there, but closer. Stupidity tends to do that.

I duck under the barrier and let Tanya out of the bag, hoping she didn't get too wet. She glares at me, and trots away.

Rock's grin fades. "Dash...?"

"Oh, don't be so surprised." Melissa rubs Tanya's head, making her purr. "Dash can be clever when he wants to."

I grin.

Rock looks confused. "I'm just...I haven't...and I didn't..."

Melissa rolls her eyes and I punch him gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it."

He looks down. "I'm sorry."

Melissa and I exchange glances, then both punch him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it!"

He gives us a small smile. "Kay."

Tanya wraps herself around my legs and looks meaningfully towards the long grass. I lace my fingers with Melissa's and follow the animal, Rock trailing behind us.

"You think he's okay?" I whisper.

"He will be." Melissa whispers back. "It's not like he didn't know this might happen."

"Good point."

Rock catches up to us. "I...uh...didn't know..."

He's gotten too close, though and before he can finish his sentence, Tanya growls at him, the hair on her back standing up. He backs up and hangs his head again. Tanya forgets about him and sniffs at the long grass.

"I didn't know you guys were together." He says quietly.

I feel a little pang of guilt, but none of us can think of anything to say, so there's an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"Now I know how you felt, Dash..." He takes a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry."

Tanya yaps and we all turn to see her facing another brownish bird, this one quite a bit bigger than the one she's found before – bigger than her. It lets out a high pitched screech and I let go of Melissa's hand to twist the brim of my hat around. "What was in the book besides Ember?"

"Um...oh! Tail whip."

"I'd be careful, though..." Rock comes up to stand on my other side. "You don't know what it could do."

I shrug. "Tail whip."

Tanya turns her back and fans all four of her tails at the bird. Besides a very small breeze that ruffles the bird's feathers, it doesn't seem to do anything.

The bird takes a few rapid steps forward and hits Tanya with both of its wings. Tanya winces and sways a little, but stays on her feet.

"I don't get it..." Melissa murmurs. "Why don't they defend themselves? It's like they're..."

"...taking turns." Rock finishes her sentence and she glares at him. "Sorry."

"I don't know." I look from Tanya to the bird, racking my brain for the words from the book. "But they were bred for battling, right? So maybe their instinct is to take turns."

"Dumb instinct."

I shrug. "Um...Ember." _Go with what works..._

The stream of flame shoots out at the bird, but it stays on its feet, still hopping back and forth.

_It's bigger...maybe it's stronger._

It hops forward and pecks Tanya on top of the head, like the one before. This seems to hurt her a lot more and she whimpers as she rubs the top of her head with her paw.

"Dash, maybe you shouldn't – "

"She can do it." It's suddenly a matter of pride. "Ember again."

Her fire is a little less bright this time, though it does send the bird back a couple of steps, squawking agitatedly. It turns back and flaps its wings, creating a gust of wind that hits us at full force, almost knocking my hat off.

Tanya is stunned for a minute, then she wobbles and falls on her side. The bird cheeps happily and hops back into the long grass.

Rock shakes his head. "You shouldn't have pushed her that hard..."

Melissa nudges him with her elbow. "Shut up. Dash, are you okay?"

I shake my head. I feel dizzy all of a sudden and as I take a step forward to regain my balance, I almost fall flat on my face.

"Dash...?"

I don't know whose voice it is and it seems far away. As the world grows increasingly fuzzy around the edges, I see a blur of tan in the trees.

Then I white out.

"...he'll be all right?"

I hear the low murmur of voices and feel the soft grass under my cheek. I'm still dizzy and don't try to stand up, but I crack my eyes open and see Tanya lying on the ground next to me. She looks okay, and she even wags her tails a tiny bit to let me know she's all right. I give her a small smile and focus on the voices again.

"If you stay here, I'll go for help." That's Rock.

"Don't be stupid, you can't bring anyone here, we'll all be arrested." Melissa.

"Right." He sighs. "I'm sorry."

"Let's just wait a little bit, they might wake up."

There's a pause.

"Missy..."

"You know what? I really don't like that name." She sounds annoyed, but the words don't come out mean.

"Melissa."

"Better."

"I'm...sorry. I really am. I know it doesn't mean much, but..." He sighs again. "I don't know what else to do...I just...I love you..."

"No." She says it forcefully. "Rock, Dash loves me. He's been showing that by hiding it for the last four years." Pause. "If that makes sense."

"Yeah..."

"I loved you too, you _know_ that. And I'm sorry that you – " She takes a deep breath. "That things didn't work out. I'm willing to still be friends, but only if you stop feeling sorry for yourself and start smiling."

The dizziness is starting to go away and I lift my head a bit to see Rock give her a tiny, sad smile.

"That's better."

He holds out his hand. "Friends?"

She bats away his hand and hugs him. "Friends."

I smile and try to work my way to sitting up. They notice and let go of each other to kneel next to me.

"Are you okay?"

I nod, blinking a couple of times to clear my vision. "Yeah. I just got...really dizzy. Don't know why."

"Can you stand up?" Rock offers his hand.

"I think so." I take it and pull myself to my feet. I dust my pants off and look down at Tanya. She's sitting up too, shaking her head and sneezing. "What happened?"

He shrugs. "Well, the bird made Tanya pass out and then you did too."

I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I got that part."

"We carried you over here, away from the long grass and we were gonna go for help but..."

"But that would have been stupid." Melissa finishes and then kisses me on the cheek. "We're just glad you're both okay."

I smile and look around. They moved me far away from the long grass...in the little wooded area that surrounds the park. We're farther away from the entrance too – and in front of a dilapidated little building. Its roof (which at some point was probably red) is caved in and its paint is peeling. On the front, next to where the doors should be are four letters, but they don't seem to make any word I know.

"What's that?"

They shrug.

"It probably has something to do with the animals." Melissa steps up and traces the letters. "See? It's the same four letters that are the beginning of that word we saw in the book!"

I try to remember. "Oh yeah. So what do you think it means?"

"No idea."

I chuckle and give her a little one-armed hug. "Thanks a lot."

Rock drums his fingers on his collarbone. "Maybe that's the name for these things. I mean, Nonextants literally means "nonexistent", right? They wouldn't name them that, not if they existed to name. And it was on the book and this building so..."

Melissa and I exchange glances.

"Or maybe the book was just Japanese."

"And maybe this building was just a place where everyone poked each other!" She reaches out and pokes him in the side.

I poke her.

He pokes me.

Pretty soon, we're all laughing and Tanya's spinning in circles, barking.

Finally, we just flop back on the grass and stare up at the leafless trees.

"This is great."

"Can we do this every day?"

"Fine by me."

"I'd love to get away from Erik."

"Wood doesn't care."

Tanya starts to purr.

_**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**_

I walk them home. They live pretty close to each other, only a neighborhood apart and only about five blocks from me. It's funny how such a short distance separates the normal part of town from my sketchy neighborhood.

At Melissa's house, I walk her up to the door.

"Is he looking?" I whisper.

She peeks over my shoulder. "No. Wait...wait...now!"

I wrap my arms around her waist and kiss her hard, holding it for a good thirty seconds.

When we finally break apart, she smiles up at me, breathless. "We're so mean."

I kiss her on the cheek. "He kinda deserves it."

She giggles and opens her door. "Bye you. See you tomorrow. Your Christmas present isn't quite ready yet, but you'll get it."

"You've already – "

"Don't say it!" She darts inside and slams the door.

I grin at the house for a few seconds, then walk down the driveway towards Rock, who's looking a little upset. _Good._

"Um..." His neck is red from all the incessant finger-drumming. "When did...you guys...start...I don't know...going out?"

"Just a couple of days ago." I try to keep the spring out of my step as we head towards his house.

"Oh." He sounds relieved. "So...not before."

"We wouldn't have done that to you, Rock." I look down. "At least she wouldn't have. She didn't like me until, like, yesterday." I start walking a little slower, worrying. "In fact, I'm not even sure if she likes me or is just using me to get back at you."

He shakes his head. "She wouldn't do that. She doesn't kiss people she doesn't like."

We're both silent for a while, staring at the street.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

He smiles. "She likes foot rubs."

I smile back. "Thanks."

Now I know he's okay with it.

"So, what happened with Gina?" I try to make it sound casual.

He shrugs. "She was more upset than angry. Said she'd need time to think about it."

"Maybe you could make up with her. Tell her hair is like a waterfall or something."

He chuckles ruefully. "I don't...really...know anymore. About her. I don't know why. Maybe I should be alone for a while...I deserve it."

I make sure he's not looking when I nod.

We move on to other topics then, like his math teacher and Wood's new girlfriend.

He shakes his head as I tell him about Amelia. "That's weird. How could anyone that cool go out with Wood?"

I laugh. "Why would anyone go out with Wood? His name alone is weird enough to scare anyone off."

"Eh, Woodrow's not that weird."

I punch him on the shoulder. "Says the guy named after a mineral."

"Actually, rocks and minerals are completely diff – "

I punch him again.

When we get to his house, I offer to kiss him goodbye too, but he respectfully declines. "See if you can get your hands on that book, though. I wanna take a look at it."

I promise to try and start for home, slipping dog biscuits into my backpack when I don't think anyone's looking.

As I pass the liquor store, I pause, noticing something for the first time. It looks remarkably like the broken down building in the woods, except for the blue roof. It says "BEERMART" on the front, but the "mart" is in a slightly different font, just like the letters on the other building.

"Huh." Maybe it doesn't mean anything. After all, I've been inside and there's nothing but alcohol. It could just be coincidence.

I still feel bad about being a jerk to Wood this morning, so I walk to the library instead. Tanya starts to get hot and restless in the backpack and I try to murmur words of reassurance without looking crazy.

There's a different, unfamiliar librarian there today who doesn't even notice when I come in. _That should make this a little easier then._ I slip to the back bookshelf.

My heart starts to pound a little faster as I take the book off the shelf. I'm not a bad kid by nature. In fact, besides keeping Tanya, I've never really done anything bad willingly. So of course I'm nervous about stealing this book,

I check the spine. No number or cataloging tag of any kind. No ISBN number in the back either. No one will miss it, I'm sure. I tuck it under my vest and put my hands in my pockets to keep it in place. Then I slowly make my way back out the door, looking at the different posters and pretending to be interested in the bulletin boards.

Before I know it, I'm out on the street. I let out a sigh of relief, adjust the book under my vest and start towards home again.

"Dash."

I don't even slow down. "Cheryl."

She catches up to me, the cat on her heels. "Whatcha got under your shirt?"

"Why should you care?" Tanya's moving around and the guilt is showing on my face, I know it is...

"Just wondering..." She picks up the cat and pouts. "You know, I don't think Owen likes it when you're mean to me."

_You think? That's news to me. _"Okay."

Seeing that talking isn't going to work, she shrugs. "Well, just try to stay out of trouble. That's hard for you, isn't it?"

I roll my eyes.

"Well..." She turns away. "At least Gina got her dog back, right?"

_Does she know? She can't know. Oh god, she knows. No she doesn't. But if she does..._

Anxiousness and fear burn my face and I run the rest of the way home.

It's early evening and Wood is gone by the time I get home. I practically collapse on my bed, relieved just to make it home. Tanya scratches her way out of the bag and sniffs the book for a few seconds before losing interest and padding over to her food bowl.

I roll onto my back, breathing hard. "We have way too many close calls, you know that, right?"

She flicks an ear and keeps eating.

"Maybe we need a better system."

She finishes, sits down and starts licking her paw.

"Any suggestions?"

She pauses briefly to glare at my backpack.

"Well, if I don't bring you out you in that, it's obvious that you're not a dog. And it's too cold to just bring you out at night."

She meets my gaze and cocks her head.

I sigh. "I don't know either. Let's just be careful, all right?"

She nods and wags her tails, rubbing her head against my hand.

Suddenly, there's a loud knock on the front door and Tanya darts under the bed. I go to answer it, my heart speeding up again just as it had slowed down.

I open the door to see our landlord standing in the hall and my first paranoid thought is that someone heard Tanya barking and complained. But he doesn't look angry or annoyed. He's pretty friendly most of the time, he just can't stand obnoxious tenants.

"Hey, Dan." He remembers my name even though I don't remember his. "Just letting everyone know that the heat broke. It'll be fixed by tomorrow, but you might want some extra blankets tonight."

I nod. "Thanks."

He walks away with a little wave and I close the door, letting out my breath.

For the rest of the evening, while it's still warm enough to function, I do some of my homework, teach myself a new song on guitar, and make myself a pitiful dinner. But by the time I eat it, I'm shivering so hard, I can barely get the fork to my mouth.

I give up and run to my bed, burying myself in my covers. It helps a little, but my blankets are cold too and I'm still shaking.

Tanya pokes her nose in and then worms her way into my cocoon. As usual, she's radiating heat and she curls up right next to me, purring softly. Soon, it's warm and stuffy and soft and I fall asleep with my arm around her.

I have a dream about being trapped in a fire, with a steel beam pinning me down, and no matter how hard I try, I can't get it off.

I wake up to see Tanya sitting on my chest.

I sigh and rub the top of her head before falling asleep again.

The next week passes...oddly. The time I spend with Rock and Melissa at the park rushes by and the moments spent walking home and worrying about Tanya seem to last forever. My days are half laughter and half paranoia.

Rock seems to think Tanya needs to get stronger and so he takes her into the long grass at the park, fighting the weird birds and purple mice. She's gotten used to him by now, and though she still doesn't _like_ him, she tolerates him. She's gotten bigger too.

When they go off on their own, it leaves Melissa and I alone, which is perfect. I still worry a little that I'm getting love on the rebound, but she argues the opposite view very persuasively. I fall more and more in love with her every day.

Wood and I grow a little distant, but that's mostly because he's never around. Work and Amelia take up almost all of his time and when he is home, he's asleep or I'm too paranoid to come out of my room.

I barely see Owen and Cheryl at all, which worries me. Maybe it's just because I'm with Rock and Melissa so much and they don't like stalking prey in front of its friends. Or maybe they got arrested. But it seems more likely that they're up to something.

"Hey." Melissa leans in and kisses my cheek, making me jump. "Stop worrying so much. School isn't til tomorrow, you still have one day of freedom."

I grin and pull her close. "I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you?"

"Mm..." She smiles, lips a breath away from mine. "You can try..."

I kiss her hard, running my fingers through her hair and catching her lip gently with my teeth. "You're so frickin' hot..." I whisper, pulling back an inch.

"You too." She barely finishes before kissing me again.

We're interrupted by a yap and a furry head pushing Melissa's arm. We smile and break away.

Tanya wags her tails at us and runs back to Rock. She's his alarm – he always sends her ahead to make sure he doesn't catch us. Thoughtful of him.

"We saw a new one today." He strides towards us, flipping through the book. I generally keep it in the second pocket of my backpack and it's yet another thing I stress out about. "It was another bird, but it looked different... different shaped body. It was a lot meaner too."

"Is she okay?" Melissa plays with the little tuft of hair on Tanya's head.

"Yeah. We didn't beat the bird, but we came close." Tanya hasn't fainted since the day we found that little building. Rock's a lot better at knowing animals' limits than I am. "Ah, here it is!" He sits down and squints at the page.

Tanya curls up in my lap, head resting on Melissa's hand, which in turn is resting on my thigh. We smile at each other and glance over at Rock. He's completely absorbed.

We lean closer.

"It's late." She whispers, tightening her grip on my thigh.

"Not that late." I slip my hand to the back of her neck.

Our lips barely touch before Rock stands up. "It's late."

We sigh in unison and get up.

Tanya's tired and easily maneuverable, so for once, it's easy to get her into the backpack. It's starting to snow, but the park is so oddly warm that the snow melts before it hits the ground.

"Any chance we could do this again during the week?" I ask hopefully.

Rock shrugs. "I've got to help out at the shelter, my parents have been yelling at me all week. You guys can go without me, though."

Melissa shakes her head. "No way. Tanya will feel left out."

He smiles. He's getting better with the whole situation and can handle jokes like that now. "Thanks."

"Hey, did you ever talk to Gina?" We start walking towards the street and I want to make sure we're not talking about anything even remotely related to Nonextants.

He shrugs again. "A little bit. I think she understands...or forgives me or is just really nice...but I think she wants to just be friends now."

"Do you want to be more than friends?" Melissa has a right to be curious. She does want him with Gina though, if only to get him off our backs.

"I guess so. I'm not really sure."

She sighs. "Well, what was your...relationship like?"

We reach the street and I see Cheryl's cat sitting right on the curb, staring at us as we come out. I look around, but Cheryl isn't around and neither is Owen. The cat is there of its own accord, observing us shrewdly. Almost like..._it's spying on us._

I shake my head. _Do you ever listen to yourself? You're a whackjob. Stop obsessing over everything._

Still, it was looking at us so interestedly, even as we walked away from it...

_Dash. It's a cat. Cats are weird. Get over it._

"Hey." I interrupt their conversation, which I had tuned out. "I'm gonna go home now, okay? I don't want to get up late for school tomorrow."

Melissa squeezes my hand. "We're still walking in the same direction for a little bit, remember?"

"Oh. Yeah." My heart is beating unevenly and my voice sounds funny in my ears. I wonder if I'm sick or just stressed. Maybe both.

They continue their conversation, trying to make me a part of it, but for the most part, leaving me alone. I glance up and down the street, freezing at Tanya's every move and failing miserably at trying to look innocent. I'm fine as long as we're in the park, but the moment we come out, everything looks like it wants to expose me and Tanya.

"Dash?"

I blink.

"Your apartment."

I look up. We're standing right in front of my building. "Oh. Sorry."

Rock punches me on the shoulder. "Hey, before you go in, can I borrow the book tonight? I found a magnifying glass and I wanna take a closer look."

I turn around so he can get it out of the backpack. "Sure, Dexter." Dexter's his middle name, and what we call him when he's being a nerd.

He fishes it out, tucks it carefully under his shirt and zips up the backpack pocket again. "Thanks."

"No problem." It's actually kind of a relief to get rid of at least one incriminating material. Then again, now I have to worry about Rock getting arrested.

Melissa takes my hand in hers and brushes some of my hair back from my forehead. Rock takes his cue and starts walking.

"Hey."

I smile, but it's quick and fake.

"Stop worrying so much." She wraps my arms around her. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Promise?"

She kisses me. "Promise."

I hope she's right.

_**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**_

I barely wake up the next morning. It's warm and safe under my blankets and outside the world is white and gray and unpredictable. I consider taking a sick day, but I wouldn't know what to do all day. Besides, I do want to see Melissa.

I drag myself out of bed, yank on a t-shirt and some pants, spray myself with my deodorant, and feed Tanya. Wood's probably still asleep, but even so, I do it quietly, making sure not to rustle the bag or kick the dish.

Tanya's not up at all. She's still curled up in a ball under the covers, tails twitching. I allow myself one small moment of envy, then poke her in the side.

She growls softly.

"Are you listening?"

She lets out a short breath through her nose. _Yes, but I'm not happy about it._

"I gotta go to school today. I gave you some food, you know where the litter box is and I'll be back around three. Okay?"

She nods and I pull the blankets back over her.

I check the clock. I have about ten minutes until the bus comes. I usually don't like the bus, but today, it's snowy, I don't have a coat and I'm just so tired…

I grab my vest, my school backpack and the bag of dirty litter from on top of the litter box and sneak out of the apartment. I consider taking the fire escape (which is what I've been doing for the last week), but that might look too suspicious. I walk out the front door instead, dropping the bag into the trash can by the curb.

The bus comes fairly quickly and I choose a seat somewhere in the middle, over a heat register. The other kids talk about what they did for break and the radio blares a guitar solo, but I just rest my forehead on the window and stare at the frost on the glass and worry.

"Hey."

I turn and see Owen grinning at me. I hadn't even noticed him coming to sit with me. I grunt and turn back to the window.

"Haven't seen you for a while."

"Busy."

"You never came to that fight."

I try to remember, then give up and shrug. "Sorry."

"Dude." It's softer and very serious-sounding for Owen. "You didn't even try."

"I'm sorry, okay?"

Silence.

I wonder why he's so worked up about this. Maybe it's just because he's used to everyone doing what he says. _Or maybe he's gone gay for me and misses me._ The thought makes me snort.

That sets him off. "You think I invite everyone to the fights?" I turn again and see that he's not smiling for the first time. "Or to parties? I try to include you and you just keep blowing me off!"

I'm too tired for this, but I have to apologize, otherwise my life will become a living hell. "I'm sorry. I really am. I've been busy."

He glares at me darkly. "I know you have."

He stands up and goes back to his seat, leaving me with a headache.

The day is generally gray and boring. Nobody seems willing to talk to the teachers or to anyone else – their minds are still at home, with their presents and holiday leftovers. The teachers give back papers from before the break (I failed most of them) and get angry more easily.

Gotta love January.

I run into Melissa sometime before third period and I smile for the first time.

She gives me a quick hug, then looks at me strangely. "Have you told anyone about...us?"

I take her hand. That's the best part of having a girlfriend, having someone to hold hands with in the hallways. "No. Who would I tell?"

"People keep congratulating and teasing me." She shrugs. "A lot of people. And I know Rock wouldn't tell, so..."

"Maybe Owen and Cheryl."

Her head whips around. "You told _them_?"

"No!"

"Then how do they know?"

"I don't know!" I sigh. "All I know is that they said something about it once and – "

The bell rings and I catch a glance of her face – confused and upset – before we're swept in different directions by the crowd.

She's not in lunch later.

I sit alone (Rock is still serving his last detention) outside, raindrops occasionally falling on the table in front of me. I don't have a lunch or a jacket and I just remembered that today would have been Rock and Melissa's anniversary.

I bury my head in my arms and take deep breaths, trying not to cry.

It doesn't really work.

I can't really remember the last time I cried – I was close to it when Rock cheated on Melissa, but that was more angry. Right now, I'm just stressing out about Tanya being discovered, worried that I'll fail math, scared that Melissa doesn't like me anymore and really really really freaked out in general. I can't deal with this, I can't deal with this, I can't deal with this, I can't deal with this, I can't deal with this...

The next thing I know, someone is shaking me awake.

I open my eyes. I'm stiff and my hands are still asleep and my mouth tastes like sawdust.

"Are you okay?"

I look up, blinking a couple of times.

Gina is standing next to me, holding an umbrella and looking concerned. It's not raining hard, just drizzling, but I guess she doesn't want to ruin her hair or something –

"Dash?"

I blink again and think vaguely of the classes I must have missed. "What time is it?"

"About two."

That's like ten minutes before the last bell. No sense going to class for only ten minutes.

I try to stand up, wobble a little, then rub my eyes and finally wake up for real. I notice for the first time that my back is all wet.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks, Gina."

"No problem." She smiles and heads back inside.

I should say something about Rock, or ask her about him or say something, but my tongue feels heavy and any words would come out loud and awkward.

I grab my backpack and head back inside, towards the exit. I've been so worried about Tanya, I might as well go home early to check on her. Besides, it's gotten a little warmer and I'm already wet. A little walk won't hurt me. I slide past the hall monitors, who are all half asleep or pretending to read books and push open the door.

I slog home through the puddles and half melted snow, trying to hum a song I only know half the lyrics to. The world's too bright after my nap and my thoughts are completely scattered. I wonder if it's raining in the park...the weather there always seems to be different.

When I get to my neighborhood, I spot Owen and Cheryl leaning against the building next to mine, smoking. The cat isn't with them and the slightly psychotic part of my brain worries about that. I brace myself for drama, but they barely even look at me as I walk past.

_Either they're high as hell, or they're mad at me._ I don't worry too much though. I can live with their disapproval.

The stairs up to our apartment seem steeper than usual and I get tired by the time I reach the door. I consider sitting down right there and going back to sleep, but I need to check up on Tanya.

She's fine. She's sleeping on my bed, the sheets all mussed up and when I come into the room, she looks up and wags her tails.

"You cause me a lot of trouble, you know that?" I drop my backpack and flop next to her. She licks my ear, which makes me laugh and then settles down on my back.

It's comfortable and my headache is going away and my eyes start to close again...

The next thing I know, the door slams open, Tanya jumps off so hard it hurts my back and I sit bolt upright.

It's Melissa, crying again.

I stand up. "What's wrong? What time is it?" The second question was stupid, but I just woke up.

She takes a couple of breaths and calms down. "I was on my way over here to apologize for earlier – "

"Mel, it's okay."

"– and I saw Owen and Cheryl in a phone booth and I was going to yell at them and tell them what jerks they are, but I heard who they were calling and..." She pauses for breath. "They were talking about a Nonextant..."

I clench my fists. "Probably talking to one of their buddies at the gym." Tanya whimpers.

Melissa shakes her head. "Dash, they're calling the cops. On you."

_**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**_

My heart skips a beat and my blood runs hot and cold at the same time. I can't move for a second.

Melissa starts crying again and that brings me out of my stupor.

I grab her hand. "Hey, don't worry okay? Everything's fine." I half say it to her, half to myself.

I squeeze her hand and then take a step back. I've spent so much time worrying about this, I have a whole procedure worked out in my head and I start to move with panic-fueled efficiency.

I open the window and put the litter box on the fire escape – if anyone asks, it's for stray cats. Then, I stuff the bag of dog food under my bed, covering it with layers of dirty clothes and junk.

Melissa sniffs. "Can I do anything?"

"No." It comes out sharper than I meant it to, but I only feel bad for a minute as I shove the leash and collar in my pillow case and empty the bottom drawer of my dresser, stuffing the clothes underneath my bed with the rest.

Then I kneel down and face Tanya. She knows what's going on and she looks pretty scared. "Hey." I put a hand on her head. "Don't worry. I won't let them hurt you. I promise."

She whines but lets me pick her up and carry her to the empty drawer. It's a tight squeeze, but she fits and I don't think they'll look there. To be on the safe side, though, I take off my vest and cover her with it. She wriggles out and barks, looking at me worriedly.

"Shh...you just gotta be quiet, okay?" I think for a minute, then take my mom's ring and put it in the drawer next to her. "It'll be okay."

She's quiet, staring at the ring and I close the drawer.

I stand up, close my eyes and let out my breath. My heart hasn't stopped pounding once this whole time, but I think I took care of everything.

I open my eyes again. Melissa looks even more scared than Tanya. "Now what?"

I reach out and hold her hand. "We act innocent."

She looks puzzled, but when I sit down on the bed and pull her down next to me, she understands and smiles in a scared kind of way. "You really think that's gonna work?"

I lay down, facing her. "We just have to look like we've been here a while. Like we're not worried about anything but ourselves." As I talk, I muss up her hair a little bit and clench my shirt to make it look wrinkled.

"I think I can do that." She whispers, letting her lips brush against my neck.

I kiss her, but at the same time listening for sirens and making sure I didn't forget anything.

"Come on, Dash, focus!" She traces her fingers up my side. "You'll never convince anyone you've been here a while like that."

I give her a small smile and kiss her harder, brushing her hair away from her neck. After a minute, I pull back. "Promise me something."

She looks up at me, eyes half closed and a sexy smile on her lips. "Anything."

Dammit, she's hot. "If they do find Tanya or something and something happens to me, promise me you won't get mixed up in it."

Her eyes widen. "Like...pretend I don't know anything?"

"Promise me."

"But I can't – "

"Melissa." I cup her face in my hands. "If you love me, you'll promise me this."

She doesn't look at me.

"Do you promise?"

She hesitates, then nods.

Just then, we start to hear sirens. They're still kind of distant, but getting closer all the time.

We grab each other and start kissing fervently, almost painfully. Her teeth scrape against my lips and she's holding me too tight, but I'm too scared and freaked out to care. I shift her on top of me and slide my hands in her back pockets, getting into it in spite of myself.

"I love you." I whisper into her mouth.

She breaks away and buries her head in my shoulder. "I love you too, Dash, please don't let anything happen, please..."

"Shh..." I lift her chin and kiss her more gently. "It's going to be okay." I won't promise her that though. I can't.

The sirens are louder now, on my street. I can feel Melissa shaking a little bit and I hold her closer, sliding her sleeve off her shoulder and rubbing her back gently.

For the first time, I think of Wood. I was too tired to check for him when I got in earlier – is he home? Is he hearing this? He is going to hate me so much...

The sirens stop, but that's only because they've stopped in front of my building. I can't tell how many there are, but...

"Focus, Dash." She whispers it this time.

I allow myself one last glance at the bottom drawer, then try to lose myself in Melissa's lips. I force myself to think about her, everything about her – her laugh, how she looks in a dress, the way she can sing – everything that made me fall in love with her...

They're coming up the stairs now. A lot of them.

I kiss her harder.

They're right outside the door.

I squeeze my eyes shut and Melissa whimpers softly.

They're inside the apartment now and shouting and knocking my door down and they're right there and my heart is about to explode right out of my chest...

We gasp in unison and sit up, trying our best to look puzzled.

The officers – there's about five of them – blink, not expecting to find a couple of kids making out.

I clear my throat, hiding my hands so they can't see that they're shaking.

The guy in charge regains his composure and puts a hand on the gun on his hip. "We received a call about an illegal animal on this property. Are you Daniel Chamall?"

I nod.

"...do you have an illegal animal?"

I shake my head. "I think it was a prank call. Owen and Cheryl – "

Suddenly there's a loud _crack_ from the dresser and everyone turns to look at it, including me.

_Please no. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease..._

No one listens.

Just as suddenly, there's a flash of movement and something huge and white bounds past the cops and down the stairs. Four of them run after it and though the last one stays in the bedroom, he stares after it, shouting into his pager.

I feel numb.

"Evolution can be sparked by a sudden change or a certain mineral..." Melissa murmurs disbelievingly. "Oh, Dash, we're in so much trouble..."

"No." I remind her, nudging her arm away. "Just me."

Melissa picks up on her cue and stands up. "Dash, what _was_ that thing?" She's a good actress. She's putting just the right amount of confusion and fear into her voice. Then again, maybe she's not acting.

I reach for her, playing my own part. "Missy..."

"No!" She jerks away and runs for the front door, but is stopped by one of the officers. He tells her it's not safe, that they have to question her and if she could just sit down.

I'm even more tired now. Now that I've been caught, I feel kind of...not relieved, but separate. I can't worry anymore – my worst fear has been realized. Things can't get much worse.

Eventually, more cops come and question us, in different rooms. I mumble answers, truthful for the most part and insist Melissa had nothing to do with it. I only hope she's doing the same. They ask about my caretaker and I give them Wood's name as my stomach twists itself into a knot. They don't search my apartment – they don't have a warrant – but they look around carefully without touching anything.

Finally, they put handcuffs on me and start to lead me out of the apartment. I stop suddenly right in front of the door and face the officer interrogating Melissa.

"I love her." I can feel the cops trying to drag me back, but I need to say this. "She had nothing to do with this. Don't arrest her. Please." I let them jerk me back and I can hear her start to cry again.

Then I tune out the world.

I'm vaguely aware of being led down the stairs and of neighbors poking their heads out and being stuffed in a car...but I don't really care about any of it. I just want to rest my forehead on the glass and go to sleep. I can't deal with this...

I squint out the window for any sign of Tanya. Or the big white thing that is now Tanya. There are police cars racing in the direction of the park, but I don't see her anywhere.

I close my eyes.

Maybe I'll wake up under the covers again.

_**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**_

I'm not sure what I imagined juvie to be like. I'm not sure I ever imagined it at all. And now that I am here, I'm still not sure what I think of it.

It's very gray.

Everything's gray.

The walls are gray, the floor is gray, the clothes they made me change into are gray...even the lights give off a kind of grayish glow. Not that I expected rainbows, but still.

It's not so much like a prison as like a school, though those are basically the same thing. My room is just that – a room, not a cell, with six bunk beds and a little bathroom. There are bars on the window, but I'm not really looking up anyway.

I haven't met the other kids yet. They're all at some sport thing. The people in charge offered to let me go, but I said no. It's weird how they ask you. I guess they're pushing for the whole "reforming" aspect.

Anyway.

I sit on my uncomfortable bed, trying not to think about anything. Not about Melissa, or the look Wood gave me at the police station, or Owen and Cheryl and especially not about Tanya.

It doesn't work that well.

I roll over onto my side and pull the thin blanket over me. Sleep sounds nice...it's been like eight hours since my nap in lunch. I close my eyes, but they keep popping open. I guess I'm too freaked out to sleep.

The wall right next to my bed is so covered with graffiti, my eyes blur from trying to pick out individual words. There's the usual stuff like so-and-so rocks and so-and-so sucks, but also some poetry. Mostly depressing stuff. I don't read much.

I'm staring at some gigantic R somebody carved into the wall when I hear voices and footsteps. That must be the rest of the kids, the ones who sleep in the other five bunk beds. There's only a couple of voices, though. Most of them are pretty quiet. I don't turn around.

Pretty soon, the lights go out and the couple of people who were talking stop.

"Hey, new kid."

I glance over my shoulder. Long hair and a pointy nose hanging upside down from the upper bunk.

"No crying, all right?"

The words aren't unfriendly, but they're not reassuring either. I give a small smile of acknowledgment and turn back to my wall.

I hope I can keep that promise.

The next day drags. I think. I'm not really aware of anything.

As far as I can see, there's not much to our schedule besides three meals and some sort of recreational thing. Some – well, most – of the kids go to therapy at some point, but I guess they've decided I'm sane enough not to have to do that. Yet.

I basically just keep my head down and keep quiet, though I do pick up a few bits of information. Which kids are "different", where to stand in the lunch line if you're a new kid, who the nasty guards are and what it feels like to be shoved into a prison wall.

It's not that different than other walls.

None of the kids target me specifically, they just pick on whoever happens to be in their way at the time. At least I hope they do. For some reason, I keep catching this one kid glaring at me. He's got weird, shaggy, spiky hair and a little charm on a string around his neck. I try to stay out of his way.

The recreational thingy tonight is a movie. Some kind of PG slapstick comedy...I think they're trying to make it as harmless as possible. I mostly look at the other kids. I haven't really had an opportunity to while keeping my head down.

They're all about my age, but look older...must be the gray everywhere It's not separated by gender or anything, so there are some girls around too. In fact, they're pretty much clustering around the shaggy-haired kid. I don't know why...he's not that attractive and these scary-looking girls probably wouldn't be into him even if he were.

The shaggy kid notices me staring and glowers at me again.

I look away and try to concentrate on the movie.

Later, they dismiss us to our rooms and I get to see the kids who came in last night. The shaggy kid isn't there, thank goodness, but I do see my bunkmate. The kid who told me not to cry.

We get into bed pretty quickly and the lights go off within about ten minutes. I lay staring at the giant R carved into the wall, before making up my mind.

"Hey." I poke the bottom of the upper bunk. "You awake?" My voice sounds weird to me...I haven't used it all day.

The long hair swings down as the kid dangles upside down. "Yeah. What's up, new kid?"

The hair is long and it's pretty dark and I'm not exactly sure if they're a boy or a girl. I think a boy, because they wouldn't put girls and boys in the same bedroom. "Do you know the one kid with really shaggy, spiky hair?"

"With the charm around his neck?"

"Yeah."

He nods upside down, which looks weird. "That's Jared."

"Is he an asshole to everyone?" I don't usually curse, but these people might take me more seriously if I do. "And why does he have all those girls around him?"

He chuckles a little. "I have no idea. But yeah, he's kind of an ass."

"To everyone or just me?"

Somebody from a different bunk curses. "Hey, shut up!"

The long hair flips back up.

I turn back to stare at the R. I stare at it so long that my head starts to hurt and my sleep-deprived mind turns it into something scary that somehow represents every bad thing that's ever happened to me.

Finally, I close my eyes.

_You're going crazy, Dash. Next thing you know, you'll be one of those freaks who watch nothing but anime cartoons._

The thought makes me smile, but I still don't sleep.

The next day isn't much different.

There's macaroni and cheese for lunch instead of soup and instead of a movie, they send us to run around in the gym, but it feels pretty much the same.

I keep my head down again and if Jared glares at me, I don't notice. In the gym, I sit against the wall, staring at the people pretending to play basketball. I'm not the only one sitting, but I'm definitely the lamest looking one.

"Hey, new kid!"

Wow, that is an _annoying_ voice. High pitched and whiny without being chipmunk-cute. I look up.

It's Jared, surrounded by a bunch of scowling girls. Maybe one of them has that annoying voice.

"What's your name, hotshot?"

Nope, it's Jared's voice. _Yikes._ I clear my throat. "Dash."

"Is that your _real_ name?"

Please, make this guy stop talking. "It's close enough."

He folds his arms. "Well then, can you 'dash'?"

I stand up. My neck was getting sore looking up at them. "I'm a runner, sure." I'm already regretting talking. I've had enough experience with jerks to know that the more you talk the more stuff they have to torment you with.

"So you wouldn't say no to a race." He smirks. "Say...twice around the gym?"

I groan inwardly, but outwardly, I just shrug. "Sure." I hope this isn't some kind of trap.

The gym looks a lot like most school gyms – basically a big basketball court with a bunch of lines around the outside. Jared and I line up between a couple of them. No one else is watching us, except for his girls and we crouch down.

"No cutting corners?" He's still smirking.

I grimace and shake my head. I didn't think anyone could be as annoying as Owen.

One of his girls counts off. "Ready...set...go!"

We take off.

I wasn't expecting much. As I said before, I'm not called Dash for nothing. I've set records for my track team and I can run the mile in about six minutes. Nobody's even come close to catching up to me.

But Jared is fast.

_Fast._

I run as fast as I can and just barely manage to keep up with him. I almost stumble going around the second corner and he pulls ahead by a couple of feet. It takes me the remaining lap and a half to get back into stride with him and even then, he wins by a couple of inches.

For a minute or two, we both hunch over to catch our breath and don't say anything. Everything hurts. _I should've stretched._

He straightens up first and gives me that smirk. "You're pretty okay...but not good enough to be called Dash."

His girls snicker. Maybe they do like him.

"Smell ya later, loser." He and his entourage turn their backs and walk across the gym.

I stare after them, then sit down again, fuming. The first time in my life I ever lose a race and it had to be to a pompous, arrogant asshole like Jared. I mean, I guess I haven't been running much lately...but still, I should have been able to beat him. _And who says "smell you later"? Or calls people losers? It's like he came out of the 90's to push me around._

After a while, we're herded out of the gym and towards the showers. It's not that bad, not compared to all the scary stories I've heard. About the same as showering with the football team – intimidating, but harmless.

I'm starting to get used to my uncomfortable bed, which scares me. It's only been a couple of days and I can barely remember what my own bed feels like.

I stare at the R until I start to get stiff, then roll over and stare into the middle of the room. It takes me a while to get tired enough to actually close my eyes and as soon as I do, they snap back open.

In the middle of the floor is a purplish cloud of gas, a hazy shadow with huge, fierce-looking eyes.

I blink again and it's gone.

I roll over again and stare at the bottom of the upper bunk, massaging my temples.

_You really are going crazy, Dash._

_You really are a loser._

_**CHAPTER NINETEEN**_

The next week or so passes unbearably slowly – and every day is exactly the same.

Well, it changes a little. We have arts and crafts instead of movies some days, but it's really not all that different.

My long-haired bunkmate disappears (released, I think) and is replaced by a big scary looking kid with a crew cut who doesn't speak English and makes the upper bunk sag down at night.

I see the gas cloud thing a couple more times, enough to convince me that either I really am demented or it really exists.

Jared becomes unbearable. He and his annoying voice follow me _everywhere. _It's like every time I walk in front of him, he takes it as a challenge. I race him practically every day and tie with him, if I'm lucky. No one sticks up for me, of course, but it's not like I expected them to. They seem to consider Jared and his girls as losers and if they want to victimize another loser, that's fine with everyone else.

Mostly, I think. About Tanya and Wood and my parents and everything. I kinda get lost in my own mind sometimes...it's scary. I wish I had a book or something to distract me from myself.

I'm pretty much staring at the wall, thinking about what kind of career I could get with a conviction on my permanent record when a cop walks in and calls my name.

I blink and stand up. "Yeah?"

He jerks his head. "You have visitors."

Around here, you only get visitors if you're not a troublemaker. I guess they decided I'm not going to kill anyone.

The cop leads me to the room you always see in the movies – little desks from wall to wall with bulletproof glass and phones on either sides.

Rock and Melissa are standing on the other side of the glass, looking nervous and upset. Rock is drumming on his collarbone and smiles weakly at me when I come in. Melissa is hugging the stuffed animal I gave her for Christmas (a little egg shaped thing covered with red and blue squiggles) and rushes to sit down at a desk and pick up a phone.

I sit down opposite her and pick up my phone. "Hey Missy."

She bursts into tears. "Dash..."

"Hey, shh..." I've seen this girl cry way too many times. "It's okay! I'm okay, you're okay...nobody got hurt or anything." I'm surprised by my own optimism. "It could be a lot worse."

She sniffs and wipes her eyes. "It could be a lot better."

I half-smile and nod. "Well yeah."

She takes a deep shuddering breath and seems to calm down. "Are you really okay?"

I shrug. "For the most part, yeah. I haven't gotten beaten up or anything." I don't mention the way my body aches after a race with Jared. No sense making her worry. "What about you? How's school and stuff?"

She squirms a little. "Oh...okay, I guess. Owen and Cheryl have been spreading nasty rumors about you..."

I roll my eyes. "Of course they have."

She looks down. "People are such jerks."

"Hey." I wait until she looks at me again, then I smile. "It's going to be okay. I promise."

She tries to smile back. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." She is so beautiful... "Lemme talk to Rock, okay?"

She nods and stands up, handing the receiver to him and hugging her stuffed animal again.

During the brief moment when no one's sitting on the other side, I catch a glimpse of my vague reflection in the glass. From what I can see, I don't blame Melissa for crying – I look awful. My hair is mussed up, there are dark circles under my eyes and I'm a lot paler than I was. Has it really only taken a week for this to happen?

Rock picks up the phone. "Hey."

"Hey."

I can see faint bruises on his collarbone...the poor guy must be really stressed. "It's worse at school than she said."

I glance back at her, but she won't look at me. "What do you mean?"

"People won't really talk to her anymore. Or me. They talk behind our backs and occasionally, someone will ask us what you did." He shakes his head. "Probably Owen and Cheryl."

"And that evil cat." I realize that sounds crazy, so I force a laugh to make it a joke and then change the subject. "How's Wood? Have you guys been to see him?"

"Yeah...he's just kind of...numb. Didn't really talk to us. He didn't seem mad, just..." He shrugs.

I glance at the cop, who's been standing in the corner the whole time and feel my pulse quicken slightly. "And what about my mom?"

"What?"

I force my voice to stay casual. "My mom. Y'know. Tanya. Have you seen her?"

His eyes widen in understanding, though there's a subtle look that says _you never told me it was your mom's name!_ "Yeah. We've seen her a couple of times. She's...scared, but she'll be all right. She's changed a lot."

"Yeah." I feel a wave of relief wash over me. At least Tanya's safe. "She'll be all right though."

He nods.

The cop clears his throat – time's up.

I glance back at him and nod, then turn back to Rock. "Take care of Missy."

He smiles weakly again and nods.

"And my mom. Careful with that book." Hopefully, that's cryptic enough not to be suspicious. I hang up the phone and stand up.

I glance back at them as the cop leads me out of the room. They're headed out the opposite door...his arm is around her and she's leaning into his shoulder. I feel a little pang of envy, but it passes. If they're happy, then I am.

Sort of.

Another couple of days pass.

I'd keep track via tally marks on the wall or something, but there's already about five other sets already and I don't think I'll be in here that long anyway.

I hope I won't.

Not much changes...they've been on an arts kick lately and a lot of our rec time is spent drawing or sculpting etc. I guess that's the most harmless and convenient activity they could think of.

I'm not complaining. It works well for me. Jared can't race me in the art room and the worst things he does are shoving me with his shoulder when he walks by – which honestly, by now, is nothing to me. I can usually move fast enough to duck.

I draw Tanya, mostly, crumpling up the paper afterward so no one can see it. My sketches of her and of the other animals I've seen come out a lot better than anything else I try to draw, but I don't show them to anyone.

Right now, I'm working on the...thing that Tanya turned into. I didn't really get more than a glance at it and my drawing's not very good. If anyone saw it, I doubt they'd even know what it is.

"Daniel Chamall?"

I crumple it anyway. "Yeah?"

A guard stands in the doorway...I think he's the same one who supervised my conversation with Rock and Melissa. "Your lawyer's here."

Whaddya know, I have a lawyer.

I follow him out, tossing the crumpled sketch in a garbage can. Hopefully no one goes through the trash very carefully. _It doesn't matter._ I remind myself. _I'm already in here, what else could happen?_

He leads me to a little office-type thing...it's got a door that can close (wow, I guess they really do trust me) and a table and a little security camera in the corner. He gestures for me to go in and stations himself outside the door.

I walk in and shut the door behind me.

"Hi, Dash."

I look up, registering the woman at the table for the first time. "Amelia?"

She smiles. "Last I checked."

"You're a lawyer?" I sound stupid, even to myself.

"I passed my bar exam last year." She stands up and offers me the chair.

I take it. "Then how come you work with Wood?"

She waves a hand. "I do legal stuff for the company, but anyway – " She crouches next to me. "I'm here to represent you."

I kind of understand that, but there's other things on my mind. "Why hasn't Wood come to see me?"

"Dash, he's been busy. Please, can we concentrate on your case? I only have so much time with you."

I sigh and nod, but I'm not going to forget it.

"Okay, so..." She opens the folder she's been holding under her arm. "Your charges were keeping an illegal animal. Did you?"

I nod.

She shakes her head. "Oh geez..."

"She was dying!" I burst out. "She was dying and I took her home and she didn't hurt anyone and – "

"Shh." She puts a hand on my shoulder. "I only mean that this trial is gonna be really public."

"Why?"

"Dash, think about who your parents were! This is gonna seem like you're carrying on their work."

"Oh." That thought never even crossed my mind. "Yeah."

"The media will be everywhere and will either try to make this into a huge sob story or decry you as a criminal. Either way, it won't be fun." She stands up again and leans on the table. "Okay, so tell me everything that happened from the beginning."

I hesitate. I hadn't realized until now how many illegal things I've done. "Well...it kind of starts with Owen. Owen Chessy, he's a guy who lives on my street...he's kind of top dog in my neighborhood and you don't want to offend him. Because if you do, he'll ruin your life...he's the one that called the cops on me."

I go on from there, telling how much I hated the fight, how I found Tanya, how I took care of her – I leave Rock and Melissa out of the whole story though. They didn't do anything wrong. I mention Cheryl and how nasty _she_ is and the other Nonextants in the park and how Tanya changed right before I got arrested...I didn't realize how much there was to the story.

Amelia waits patiently and nods. When I'm done, she gives me a sad look. "You're a good kid Dash."

That's what everyone says, but I'm still in prison.

"I'll do what I can with what you gave me...we'll probably be able to play up your goodness and that kind of thing. Win the jury's sympathy." She straightens and tucks her folder under her arm again. "I'll meet you next week, okay?"

"How long am I gonna stay in here?" My voice sounds smaller than I mean it to.

Her eyes soften. "Your trial is scheduled for February 4th. Hopefully, after that, you won't be staying here. If we don't win, though...about five months."

I look down. "That's not...too bad."

"Hey." She puts her hand on my shoulder again and I look up. "We're going to win."

I smile weakly. "I just wanna be out for your and Wood's wedding."

She looks at me tearfully and hugs me hard. "It's going to be okay."

Everyone says that too, but I'm _still_ in prison.

_**CHAPTER TWENTY**_

For some reason, as I leave the little room, I feel a little better. At least now I've got some way out of this place and someone who cares about me is helping, not just some court-appointed lawyer.

But, of course, when I get back to the art room, Jared senses my happiness and tries to do his best to crush it. I mean, that's his job, right?

"Hey, Daniel!" Ugh, that annoying voice. And my real name. He's outdoing himself today. "Your boyfriend come to see you again?"

Most of the time, I ignore him, but I feel good enough right now to try a comeback. "Too busy with your mom, Jerry."

Before I know what's happening, he's hoisting me up by my shirt collar and shoving his face in mine. He narrows his eyes. "Don't. Call. Me. Jerry."

"Well, don't call me Daniel." I'm not intimidated. There are guards all around if things get rough – and besides, it feels good being the antagonist for once.

He drops me, glares at me one last time, then stalks off to his girls. I dust myself off and go back to my seat, grabbing a pencil and a fresh sheet of paper.

I draw Melissa. Not the way she looks now, but a younger version. She had lighter hair when she was little and she cut off one of her pigtails, so her hair was lopsided for a long time. I like the way my drawing comes out and I fold it up and put it in my pocket.

This one I'm keeping.

More days pass. I try to keep track of dates, but it's hard without a way to tell the days apart.

Jared hates me even more now and so does his gang. If he's as annoying as Owen, his girls are a close second to Cheryl. We race more and I actually win once, though just barely. I thank "Jerry" for the good time and then hurry away before he can get his breath back.

They've decided I should have a therapist now so every other day I go to see her. She's a pretty nice Asian woman named Dr. Joi, but she treats me like I'm one of the other kids. I may be messed up, but I'm not that messed up.

Then again, I still see the gas cloud thing at night right before I go to sleep. Maybe I am that messed up.

I'm in the middle of eating lunch (alone, of course) when the same cop calls my name. Maybe he's assigned to me. Probably not.

He escorts me to the room with the glass and the desks again. There's a couple of other people talking this time, softly enough that I can't make out any words.

I look at the other side of my own desk, expecting Wood. Or Rock and Melissa again. Or anybody.

It's just Rock. He looks agitated and picks his phone up before I do.

I pick up mine. "Hey. Where's Melissa?"

He sighs. "I...didn't tell her I was coming. She's coming next week though, don't worry."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why didn't you tell her you were coming?"

He doesn't look at me. "She's upset, Dash. _Really_ upset. She almost never stops crying and barely talks..."

She sounds worse than I am. Poor thing. "Do me a favor?"

He nods.

"Can you tell her that everything in my nightstand cabinet is hers?" He looks confused, so I add, "Please?"

"Sure." He half-smiles.

"Thanks." I glance at the people two desks down. It looks like my scary bunkmate is trying to talk to his dad. Or to some older guy who looks a lot like him. "So...um...what else did you want to tell me?"

He's getting nervous. His fingers are twitching around his neck, avoiding the faint bruises. "Oh, nothing important." His voice is overly casual too. "Just something about Owen and Cheryl."

"Did they...do anything?" A bunch of worse-case scenarios run through my mind. "Like cause problems?"

"No more than usual, no." He sits on his hand to stop the drumming. "It's just that...cat they have, y'know? It looks a lot like the one in the book you lent me."

My eyes widen and I look around instinctively, though I know nobody was really listening to us. "That's...weird."

"Yeah, I thought it was...a coincidence." He leans back, the hard part of his visit out of the way.

I almost grin. "Dexter."

He rolls his eyes and smiles. "So anyway, are you still okay?"

I nod. "Better, sort of. Amelia's my lawyer and she's working on my case...hey, speaking of which, how's Wood?"

He shrugs. "He's not home a lot. He's...doing something. I talked to him for a minute once...he's trying to get rid the law that got you in here. A lot of political work and everything."

I'm so proud of my uncle. I guess that makes up for him not visiting.

"We introduced him to Tanya too." He chuckles softly. "They get along really well, actually."

"That's...great!" I mean it. That's about five of my major problems gone.

"Yeah."

There's a slightly awkward silence.

"How's school?"

"Not really different. People are kind of getting over your arrest and stuff, but Owen and Cheryl bug us _a lot_."

Suddenly, my bunkmate and his dad get into a screaming match in Spanish or whatever and the cops hurry everyone out of the room, in case the psychos can make a weapon from desks bolted to the floor.

I don't get to say goodbye.

The next time Amelia visits, I'm not all sad and depressed. Still a little crazy, maybe, but not depressed. Things haven't been that bad. I've beaten Jared three times now, my bunkmate got moved to a different room and I have evidence that might send my worst enemy here.

Amelia sets down her folder and sits down. They gave us two chairs this time and I take the other one.

She speaks first. "Wood says he's sorry he couldn't come. He wrote you a note..." She fishes it out of her pocket. "I've talked to security about it. You can take it with you."

"Thanks." I take it. "Can you tell him I'm proud of him? For what he's doing."

She smiles. "Sure."

"Thanks again." I fold up the note and fiddle with one of the corners. "I think I have something for the case."

She pulls a pen out of the folder and clicks it. "Go."

"Owen and Cheryl...you remember who they are, right?" She nods. "Well, they have a cat...I mean, it looks like a cat, but it's actually a Nonextant. I think they got it from someone at the gym."

"How do you know it's a Nonextant?" Her pen is scribbling across the paper.

I squirm. "Can you just take my word for it?"

She looks at me solemnly. "The judge won't."

I sigh. "It's in a book. My friend has it. Is there any way for you to get it without getting him in trouble?" The last thing in the world I want is Rock in here.

"I think I can do that. What's his name?"

I tell her. "Plus, the book is from the public library, so it isn't like it was his. Or mine."

"Okay..." Her pen's moving even faster now. I wonder if she's actually taking notes or just doodling.

She writes for a while and my thoughts start to drift. "Is Wood paying you for this?"

A smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. "In a way."

Gross. "But not money, right?"

She shakes her head. "Money's always been tight with him, you know that. Besides, there's a strike at the lab, so he's not exactly getting paid."

"Ah." Maybe he was the one who organized it.

There's a long silence before she looks up from her notes. "Is there anything else you want to tell me? About your case."

I shrug.

"Anything about your parents?"

I stiffen instinctively at the words.

She notices. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just...well, Wood's almost never around and he doesn't like talking about them either and what I can find in the news and stuff isn't very...personal, you know?"

I nod and force myself to relax. "Yeah. It's fine, I can talk about them. But I don't know that much."

"Well, tell me what you do know." She clicks her pen again.

I take a deep breath. "I remember in our house there were lots of Nonextants around. The backyard was filled with my dad's and my mom had a weird looking clown-thing that would help with the housework." _Hey, maybe that's why I'm afraid of clowns._ "They were always really nice to me, the animals. And they were always helping my parents. Sometimes one would get a little wild – one burned me once – but my parents were always able to get it under control. They died in an accident, a huge Nonextant fell asleep on top of them." I'm aware of how comical that sounds. "But if they were here, they would both know it didn't do it on purpose. They're not dangerous, Amelia."

She stares at me during the entire speech and when I finish, she nods slowly. "I know. I've met yours."

Relief and anxiety hit me at the same time. "You did? How is she?"

"Fine. Scared, but fine."

A thought occurs to me. "Is there any way we could bring her to the trial? To show everyone that she really is harmless and – "

She's already shaking her head. "They're still illegal. Besides, you know her well. Would she really be okay in front of all those people?"

I look down. "Maybe not."

"Hey..." She lifts my chin and smiles at me. "It was a good idea."

I smile back. "Thanks."

"Now, I have to go." She stands up and gets her things together. "With what you've given me today, I'm almost positive we'll win."

Suddenly my paranoia kicks in. "Um...Amelia?"

She pauses. 'Yes?"

"How many other cases have you done?"

She tucks her folder under her arm. "None. This is my first." She waves and closes the door behind her.

"Hey!"

I cringe. I must have accidentally walked in front of Jared again.

He stalks up to me. "You got lucky last time."

I sigh. "Sure, Jerry, sure."

He lunges for me, but I'm already running, grinning at him over my shoulder. He curses and tries to catch up, but I've already got a huge head start and he wasn't prepared. Besides, my legs are super toned because of all those races he made me run. I stay ahead of him for a couple of laps and just when he starts to catch up with me –

"Daniel Chamall?"

I stop, flat-soled shoes sliding a little on the slick floor. After making a face at my distinguished opponent, I jog over to the person who called my name.

It's not a cop, but some kind of social worker or something. That means I've got therapy, not a visitor. The therapy schedules are kind of weird since there aren't really any time limits on the sessions.

Dr. Joi's office is pretty small and, of course, gray. There's her desk, which takes up most of the room, and a cliché psychiatrist bed/couch thing. I never figured out how to sit on it without feeling weird...usually I just sit upright on the side, with my feet on the floor.

I do that now. "Hi."

Dr. Joi smiles at me. "Hello, Dash. How are you?"

At least she calls me the right name. She says she does it to make me more comfortable, but I think she thinks it's just cool.

I lift one shoulder. "Pretty good."

We talk for a while, but I more or less tune it out. According to her, I feel guilty for owing Wood so much and so I took care of Tanya to ease that guilt. Maybe she has a point, but I don't really think about it that hard.

As I stand up to go, she smiles again and tells me I'm a good kid.

I thought psychiatrists weren't supposed to give labels.

It's later, right before bed, that I remember Wood's note. I dig it out of my pocket, reading fast before the lights go out.

_Dash~_

_First of all, I'm sorry for not visiting. I should have, but I've been really busy with all this junk. That's not really an excuse though, so sorry._

_I've organized a strike at the lab and things are pretty hectic. If, by some stretch of the imagination, it doesn't work and I get fired, I've got a teaching job lined up. I've also been drawing up a petition and so far, I've showed it to the town and county courts. I'm not sure how far it'll really go though._

_I want them to realize how harmless _(The next word is smudged and I can't read it)_ really are. I know how hypocritical that sounds, after decrying them for years...I was just scared something would happen to you like what happened to your parents._

_But they were right about these animals. I met yours. And I think it's appropriate that you named her after Tanya. They both have the same fiery temper._

There's more, but the lights go off before I can read it. I try squinting at the words, but the darkness is pitch black. I sigh and sit back, staring at the top of the bunk where I tucked the sketch of Melissa. I start composing a mental reply to Wood, but I'm just as bad as he is when it comes to writing.

My thoughts start to drift and I'm only snapped back to reality when I hear a low moaning noise to my left. I roll over and see the gas cloud thing again, huge eyes blinking at me.

"What are you looking at?"

It makes the noise again and moves a little closer. Ordinarily, I'd be terrified, but I've seen this thing way too many times for it to be shocking. I look at it expectantly. "What?"

It moves even closer and I notice it's glowing gently. It's not that bright, but maybe...

I unfold the note again. There's just enough light for me to make out the words.

_But they were right about these animals. I met yours. And I think it's appropriate that you named her after Tanya. They both have the same fiery temper._

_I hope Amelia's doing okay as your lawyer. This is her first case, after all. She's a smart girl and she has this way of making people like her whenever she talks. I know you're going to win._

_I'm sorry this letter is so horrible. It sounds like I'm writing a political speech. _(I smile. "That it does, unc.")

_I miss you. I never realized how different it is when you're not here. The dishes haven't been washed in forever and it's so quiet without your guitar playing._

_I'm going to get you back, Dash._

_I promise._

_ ~Wood _

I finish, read the last couple of lines again, then turn to the gas cloud. "Thanks."

It blinks once, then slowly fades out of view.

I tuck the note next to my sketch and roll over, facing the wall. "You'd better get me, Wood." I whisper. "My only friend here is made of vapor."

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**_

Something like a week passes. More sessions with Dr. Joi, more races with Jared, more glares from his posse and more nights with my new friend.

Rock comes again with Melissa. She still hugs the stuffed animal and doesn't talk much. I tell her I love her at least five times, but she barely smiles. I wish I could hold her.

Rock did give the book to Amelia but he still talks about it a lot, excited to learn about new animals.

On a whim I ask, "Hey, is there a gas cloud in there? A...sort of a vapor with big eyes?"

He thinks for a minute, then nods. "I think so, why?"

I sit back and smile, suspicions confirmed. "Nothing."

On the way back, the cop who always supervises these things turns to me. "You know...I'm really sorry you're in here. You're a good kid."

I glance at him in surprise, unsure of what to say. "Uh...thanks, sir."

He smiles. "Gina's told me about you."

I blink. "Gina?" Now that I look closer, there is a slight family resemblance. "Oh. You're her dad, right?" I thought he was the chief. Maybe I was wrong. Or maybe he got demoted.

He nods. "Yeah." Then he shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking to you like this."

"Oh." Fraternizing with the prisoners, I guess.

Though we've never spoken before, the silence is suddenly awkward. I glance at him again, amazed I haven't seen the likeness before. In fact, I can imagine Gina walking next to me in the uniform. _Officer Gina._ The though makes me smile.

"Oh – " I turn to him. "Can you tell me the date?"

"Um...the twenty eighth, I think."

"Thanks." More time has passed than I thought. That means my trial's in a little over a week.

That means a little over a week until I can hold Melissa again. Until I can go to school, which, believe it or not, I've missed. Until I can actually talk to Wood...

A little over a week until I can see Tanya again.

This next week passes agonizingly slowly, more slowly than all the other days combined. With something to look forward to, time drags.

Amelia comes to see me once in that time. She seems really nervous, which doesn't exactly boost my confidence. I think she notices though, because at one point, she bends down and puts her hand on my shoulder.

"We're gonna win." She smiles. "You haven't done anything. Don't pay attention to me. I'm just an amateur. But we can't lose. I promise."

I smile back and nod, but just the fact that she's using such short sentences is getting me worried.

She comes again the day before the trial and gives me a suit. It's nothing fancy, but it was the best Wood could afford and it's pretty nice.

"Thanks." I hold it up against my body, hoping it's the right size.

"Of course." She gives me a little one-armed hug. "You can keep it in your room tonight and change tomorrow." She starts to pack up her stuff.

I watch her, chewing on my lip. "Hey...is it legal for you to be my lawyer? I mean, you're kind of biased..."

She nods. "That doesn't really matter. Some people act as their own attorney. That's pretty biased." Her sentences are choppy again. Then again, they've always kind of been like that. Maybe I'm overreacting.

I barely sleep that night, which doesn't bode well for my performance at the trial. I stare at the faint outline of the R until a glow is cast on the wall.

I roll over. "Hi."

The gas cloud kind of dips its head.

"I am so scared." I know I'm crazy to talk to this thing, but I also know it can understand me, so where's the harm? "This entire thing is riding on the jury feeling bad for me and that's most likely not gonna happen. I am totally dead..." I run my hand through my hair.

It makes the low noise and moves closer.

"I'm not going to win my case, I'm gonna stay in here for five more months, Melissa is gonna get over me and probably go out with Rock again, and I am never going to fall asleep..." I half smile, in spite of myself. "Maybe hypnosis would work."

It makes the noise again, sort of questioningly.

"You know. 'You are getting sleeeeeeepy...'" I wave my hand and then drop it, realizing how tired I must be to act this crazy. "Hypnosis."

It almost smiles and all of a sudden, the air becomes fuzzy and I fall fast asleep.

I have dreams for the first time since I got here.

They're mostly kind of jumbled, just a blur of pictures and sounds...only one little sequence is clear enough for me to actually understand.

I'm standing in front of the gym, which looks brand new and slightly imposing, and wearing that outfit Melissa likes. Tanya's sitting next to me – not the big white thing she's become, but the way she's always looked. Only now she has six tails.

We're both looking up at the gym almost nervously. There aren't any noises from inside, no shouting or fight sounds, though it does seem like there's very faint music in the background.

I look down at Tanya. "You ready?"

She gets into a fighting stance and lets out twin puffs of smoke from her nostrils. _I was born ready._

I look back up at the gym again and this time, in the sky just above it, I glimpse a bird.

It's amazingly vivid, especially for a dream. It's mostly gold with some multicolored feathers and a long tail that streams out behind it. It flies slowly, almost majestically and it practically seems to sparkle, though that could just be the shine of its feathers. I stare at it until it's out of view, then look back down at the gym.

"Okay..." I take a deep breath and twist my hat backwards. "Let's go."

The doors slide open automatically for us and I step inside...

...and wake up with a start.

I sit up, banging my head on the upper bunk. "H-oh!" I rub the bump, looking around at the gray walls, the graffiti, the other beds , my suit...

I groan and close my eyes again, the image of the bird still burned into my eyelids.

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**_

Changing into a suit feels weird after wearing t-shirts and sweatpants for a month. It's much stiffer than the cotton and I'm already starting to sweat.

They let me stay in the room to change while the other kids went down to breakfast. The trial's scheduled for the morning and the way Amelia's been talking about it, it's probably gonna last a couple of days.

I fumble with my tie for a minute, then give up and turn to the empty room. "Hey. I know you're there and I just wanna say thanks...even if you are a figment of my imagination, you're the only thing that's kept me sane."

There's no answer. I didn't expect one.

I wait around, trying not to wrinkle anything until Gina's dad comes to get me. He handcuffs me, muttering apologies under his breath, explaining that it's just a precaution. I've seen enough violent movies to know that handcuffs can be easily used as a weapon, but I don't say anything.

He and two other guys lead me outside to a cop car and put me in the backseat, one of them sitting next to me. I'm not sure why they're taking all these "precautions" with _me_. I mean, what am I gonna do? Summon all the animals of the forest and make them enslave humankind?

The courthouse isn't that far away and it doesn't take long to get there. It's one of those huge, needlessly intimidating buildings with lots of columns and gargoyle and stuff. Despite all that, the name kind of detracts from its appearance – "CANTO COUNTY COURTHOUSE". Somehow, alliteration doesn't inspire fear in the hearts of criminals.

They lead me into the huge, echoey lobby and Amelia walks over to me quickly, high heels clicking on the marble floor.

"Are you okay?" She undoes the knot in my tie and starts retying it.

"Yeah." I'm barely speaking above a whisper, but my voice still sounds loud. "Though my humor is pretty deadpan."

She gives me a quick smile, straightens my tie and steps back. Gina's dad undoes my handcuffs, and murmurs "Good luck, kid."

I flex my wrists, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. My heart is already beating faster, my empty stomach is churning and the suit is soaked through under the arms.

_Tanya, I hope you appreciate this._

It's still a little early, so by the time we actually get inside the courtroom, not everyone is there yet. There's already a couple of news stations though, setting up their cameras and checking their microphones and pointing to me when they don't think I'm looking.

There's a bunch of people in the audience and, trying not to be too obvious, I locate my friends and my uncle. Wood smiles at me and gives me a little thumbs up, but Rock and Melissa don't see me or at least don't look at me. They're both dressed formally and she looks beautiful in her dress, despite the miserable expression on her face.

I glance over at the jury, hoping to see some indication of how they're going to feel about me. They're not all here yet, but of the eight that are, none of them look especially compassionate. None of them look mean, just...passive. Bored. They don't want to be here. _Neither do I, people._

We sit at the little defendant table and Amelia fusses with her papers and twists her hair around her finger and generally makes me more nervous. I just stare at the wood of the table and try to do some breathing exercises Dr. Joi taught me.

In the background, I hear more people coming in and the reporters starting their spiels – "Coming up next, live coverage of the Chamall trial. A young boy who broke the law in order to carry on his parents' work...will justice prevail? This is Channel 5 News."

_Does justice mean I'm innocent or guilty?_ It must be one of those "you decide" things.

I concentrate on my breathing, attempting to tune out everything else and failing miserably. Behind me, a different reporter describes me as "a delinquent Good Samaritan" and my throat starts to hurt.

"All rise..."

The noise stops and I get to my feet awkwardly.

"Court is now in session. The right honorable Judge Gianni presiding."

I look up at the bench, expecting Judge Judy but hoping for someone more sympathetic, and see a big burly man with beady eyes and slick, black hair. He bares his teeth in such a way that I can't figure out whether he's smiling or grimacing.

He doesn't look very sympathetic.

It's too hot in here.

The lawyers are making their opening statements, but I can't focus. The heat's too high and my suit is scratchy and my feet are falling asleep...I only catch fragments of their speeches.

Though I can't really grasp what she's saying, Amelia does a good job of speaking. Her voice is steady and besides some slight finger twitching, she doesn't do anything to let on how nervous she is.

I barely notice the prosecutor at all. He sounds more confident and he does a lot of shouting and finger-pointing in my direction. The very image of all those lawyers on T.V.

I give up on the breathing exercise and just try to breathe normally. My throat's all closed up and I'm afraid if I talk, I'll break down. _Why the hell did I ever go to that stupid fight in the first place?!_

After he's done with his soliloquy, Mr. Stereotypical Attorney puts his hands on his hips in an almost-heroic stance. "Your Honor, I'd like to call Owen Chessy to the stand."

_Owen? I didn't see him here_. I look around.

He walks right by our table and mutters something to me as he passes. It takes me a second to figure out what he said.

"_Prepare for trouble._"

I swallow.

He steps up to the witness box, swearing to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and glaring at me the whole time with venom in his eyes.

The S.A (Stereotypical Attorney) begins to pace. "Mr. Chessy, can you tell us where you were on the night of December fourteenth?"

He already looks cocky. I wonder if he's faking – I can't tell. "At my friend Cheryl's house. There were lots of people there, they can back me up."

"Where were you before that?"

He shrugs. "School."

"And after school? Where were you between there and Cheryl's?"

He hesitates. If he tells the truth, then he could say I was at the fight but he'll get nailed for being there. So of course, he lies. "I went straight from school to Cheryl's. I passed the old gym on the way and saw Dash running away from it, holding the...Nonextant."

I grind my teeth and shake my head at the table, afraid of moving any more than that.

The S.A looks at me for a second, then to the jury. "Can you describe what the animal looked like?"

Owen nods. "It was brown and orange and had a little tuft of hair on its head...and it had four tails."

My brow furrows. The only time he had seen Tanya was when she was in my backpack... and he had only seen her head, not her tails. How did he know...?

"And did you ever see it again after that day?"

He nods again. "Yeah. I saw it once in Dash's backpack."

"Oh? Was he taking it somewhere?"

Owen pretends to look puzzled. "He...said he was taking it to Gina's. Said it was her dog and he was returning it."

I want to beat my head on the table. I settle for digging my nails into my palm.

"And was it Gina's dog?"

Owen shook his head. "He still had it after that."

"How does he know that?" I say it out loud this time, though only in a whisper. Amelia pats my leg under the table semi-reassuringly.

"Do you know where he kept it?"

Owen shook his head again. "No...probably at his house or something..."

"Oh, really? And if he kept it in his house, where do you think he could've hidden it?"

Amelia stands. "Objection! Your Honor, that's just speculation – "

The judge bangs his gavel. "Overruled."

She sits again, slightly flushed.

There are more questions about the animal and my behavior and moral character...Owen makes me seem like a total screw-up, but I guess I should have expected that. According to him, I go to the fights all the time, I act suspiciously all the time and I've only got two friends who are kind of sketchy as well.

I want to punch him.

I'm imagining doing it right there, in front of everybody, when the S.A finishes and it's Amelia's turn to question Owen. She stands, fingers twitching more violently than before. "Owen, can you tell the court just how familiar you are with the Chartreuse City Gym?"

At least she called him Owen. He doesn't deserve 'Mr. Chessy'.

Owen glowers at me for a second before answering it. "Not that familiar...it's in my neighborhood and I walk by it sometimes. Why?"

"Do you know of any activities that have occurred there since the gym closed?"

He's thinking again, calculating how much he can give away without exposing himself. "It's...been closed since before I was born..."

She folds her arms, looking very tough. "Answer the question, Owen."

He swallows. I wonder if he's actually nervous or if he's just trying to make himself look cute and innocent. "Well...there's the fights...everybody knows about them."

"Can you tell us more about those?"

He shrugs. "I don't know much about them. I've heard that they're like dogfights...only with Nonextants."

"And you've never been to one?" She unfolds her arms, but her hand starts trembling, so she crosses them again.

Owen shakes his head. "No."

"Really. Then how would you know that the animal my client was carrying was a Nonextant?"

He squirms. Maybe he really is nervous. "It...it had four tails. Normal animals don't have four tails."

I glance at the judge. He's looking at Owen and he's...smiling. I guess Owen's charm is working on him too. I can't blame him...Owen's story is pretty good. I barely remember my own now.

"You said you got a good look at the animal?"

"Well...not a good look...he ran by me really quickly..."

"But you saw it several times after that."

"Um...yeah..." He's practically sweating. Amelia's doing great.

I think she realizes this because she finally unfolds her arms and not one part of her hand shakes. "So you wouldn't be able to identify it because you've never gotten a good look at it. Unless of course, you know what a Nonextant looks like."

"Objection!" The S.A stands up. "Defense is leading the witness!"

"Sustained." Gianni bangs again and gives Amelia a hard look.

She smiles sweetly and walks back over to the table. "No further questions."

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**_

Cheryl's the next witness. Her story matches up with Owen's, more or less, and she spices it up by telling everyone what a jerk I am to her. She even cries a couple of times. Amelia doesn't bother to question her.

I manage to stop sweating, though the knot in my stomach just keeps getting tighter. Five months didn't sound that bad before, but the way this judge keeps looking at me, it's probably going to be a lot longer.

I start worrying again...about this trial and about Wood's job and about Melissa and about Tanya and about spending more time with Jared and as weird as it sounds, about school. I'd give anything to be back there, even if it was raining and I was sleeping through lunch again.

I'm tuned out for a long time, thinking about all of that, but when Gianni bangs his gavel and everyone stands up, I tune back in.

"What's going on?" I stand up, almost losing my balance. I think both my feet are asleep.

"Recess. We'll come back after lunch." Amelia puts a hand on my back, steadying me. "You're in my custody now. I can take you to a restaurant if you want."

"What's the alternative?"

"Going back to the correctional center."

Is that what it's called? 'Hell' would suffice. "A restaurant sounds nice."

Melissa and Rock are waiting for us right outside the courtroom door. She smiles at me, but it's really forced. He's untying his tie, but he frees a hand to punch me on the shoulder.

I pull Melissa into a hug. I won't kiss her yet – I'm saving that for when I actually get released – but it feels great just to hold her again. "Don't cry." I whisper into her hair, rubbing her back.

"I'm trying..." She shakes a little and lets out a long, shuddering sigh.

Rock turns away from us and talks to Amelia. "Wood left...he said to tell you that you did a great job and he'll...pay you tomorrow."

Ew.

I squeeze Melissa a little tighter, hoping none of the T.V cameras are around. "I love you...I miss you so much."

"I miss you too..."

"Are you guys gonna be back tomorrow?" I let go of her and tuck her hair behind her ear.

She shakes her head. "Tomorrow's Monday. School."

I run my finger over her cheek. "Are you going to be okay?"

She nods and smiles again, weakly but at least genuinely.

Rock's mom is already waiting for them outside and I wave goodbye while Amelia fights off some reporters. A couple of them stick their microphones in my face too, but I just shake my head and walk away.

Who would listen to me anyway.

We go to IHOP. A weird place to go in a suit, but it's practically empty – only one family with a couple of little kids. Besides, it's not like we could really afford going anywhere fancy.

"Order anything." Amelia smiles.

"Thanks." I scan the menu, but I'm obviously getting pancakes. Seriously, who gets anything else at IHOP?

The waitress comes around after a while and takes our orders. From the way she looks at me, I can tell she recognizes me – after all, they did cover the trial live – but she doesn't say anything and I give her an appreciative smile when she takes our menus.

"So..." I take a sip of my strawberry-iced tea thing. It's amazing. "Where is Wood, exactly. I mean...I know vaguely what he's trying to do, but...how is he doing it?"

Amelia plays with her napkin. "It's pretty complicated...but essentially, he's got to convince a federal court that the law is unconstitutional. He's at the state court today...federal court is the next step."

"Shouldn't you be there? Or does he have some other lawyer?" I doubt that though, unless there's some lawyer who accepts broken Christmas decorations as payment.

She shakes her head. "He's representing himself. But as a leading scientist in his field and one of the people who initiated the law in the first place, I'm pretty sure he'll be okay."

I nod. _I hope so._

We're silent for a while, and I find myself staring at the other family. One of the smaller kids looks back at me and I smile and cross my eyes, making him laugh. I look back across the table and consider asking Amelia if she'll have any kids, but that would be too sappy-deep.

After another while, the food comes and I do my best to eat my pancakes without getting syrup on myself. Harder than it sounds.

"So what do you think?" I say finally, trying to fish out an ice cube with my straw.

"About what?"

"About the trial." I get it and pop it into my mouth, crunching frostily. "Do you think it went well? Is the jury on our side?"

"It's a little early to say." She wets a napkin and dabs at my cheek, a maternal gesture that I appreciate.

"Well...can you guess then?" I'm not sure why I'm asking her. Either way, I'm still going to feel doomed.

She shrugs. "The media seems to be slamming you pretty hard...but they always do that. But then again, the jury seems sympathetic. It really could go either way...it's about 50-50."

Terrible odds.

The second half of the trial is even worse. Now I'm not only hot, I'm full, and it's a physical effort to keep my eyes open. I think most of the other people feel the same way...at least three of the jurors are resting their chins on their hands. I doubt the lawyers are even listening to each other.

I shoot a glance at the judge and catch him yawning.

_We are never going to win this._ I sigh, louder than I mean to, and slump a little in my chair. I didn't realize I had been so tense.

My mind starts to wander again. I wonder if I somehow got ADD since I was arrested. I stare at a floorboard that's lighter than the rest and wish I had some paper to draw. Even if it was only an angry scribble, it would still make me feel better. On top of that, I've almost forgotten what it feels like to pet Tanya...I'm trying to remember when I hear my name.

"Daniel Chamall to the stand."

Am I still called Dash? Nobody else seems to think so.

Amelia gives me an encouraging little nudge as I stand up unsteadily and walk towards the front of the room. I wonder which would be worse – crying in front of all these people or not being able to say anything at all.

Somehow, I get to the witness box and put my left hand on the Bible.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

_I hope he does help me_. "I do."

The Bible guy goes away and Mr. Stereotypical Attorney walks up to me. "So, Mr. Chamall, I hear you go by Dash."

He looks tired and for a minute, I feel a pang of sympathy for him. After all, he's just doing his job...he was probably randomly assigned this job, since no one's suing me or anything...he probably doesn't want to be here any more than I do.

"Sometimes, yes." My tongue feels really heavy. I notice, for the first time, how many people there are. Don't they have anything better to do?

"Why do you have that nickname?"

I calm down a little bit. At least I can answer this part. "I'm a fast runner."

"Good at running away from sticky situations?"

_Ouch._ "Yes, sir, if I have to."

He spins on his heel to face the jury. "Can you tell the court where you were on December fourteenth?"

This guy is so cliché, it's painful. "Home." Technically true. Not the whole truth, but my shoelaces were crossed during the oath, so I'd say that's a loophole.

The S.A raises an eyebrow. "Not in school?"

I stifle the urge to roll my eyes. "I _was_ in school. Then I came home."

"Where is home?"

I glance at Owen and Cheryl, sitting next to each other, stone-faced. "Downtown Chartreuse. Near the old gym."

"So you know the gym."

I nod.

"And you know what goes on there."

I nod again. "Owen's right, everyone in our neighborhood knows about the fights." I catch the faintest glimpse of a smirk on Owen's face. He thinks he's going to win.

"Have you ever been to one of these fights?"

I shake my head. "I've never seen one." Also true...I never watched, I just stared at the floor.

"Then how did you come to be in the possession of a Nonextant?"

Amelia stands up halfheartedly. "Objection...counsel is making assumptions."

She's already sitting before Gianni says "overruled". He's overruled every one of her objections so far and sustained all of the S.A's. It's really not tough to see whose side he's on.

"I found an animal on the street..." I start my speech, talking slowly so it's not obvious I prepared this three days ago. "It – she was starving and hurt and I brought her home. I didn't even think about it. It wasn't until later I found out she had four tails and by then it was too late to do anything about it."

It was quiet in the courtroom before, but now it's virtually silent. A couple of camera flashes go off in the back of the room.

Even the S.A is quiet and he usually shouts. "Why didn't you inform the authorities?"

I shrug and look at Amelia. She smiles and gestures for me to go on. "What would that have done? She would have been shot and I would have gotten busted for even touching her in the first place."

For once, he's speechless.

"She was happy with me." I press on. "And healthy. She would have died if I hadn't found her and she would have died if I went to the police. I couldn't let that happen."

I'm aware I sound cheesy, but it's all true and the media people seem to be eating it up. I'm also aware of Gianni glaring at me out of the corner of his eye. Maybe he doesn't approve of my subtle jab at the justice system.

The prosecutor opens his mouth and then closes it again. "No further questions."

I'm almost positive he _does_ have further questions and I don't think my testimony moved him in any significant way. Maybe he's just trying to cut me a break.

Amelia stands up. "Dan – Daniel. Did this animal cause any harm to anybody or anything while it was in your possession?"

"No." I say it as firmly as I know how.

"You know what incident caused the law that made these animals illegal, correct?"

I take a deep breath. "Yes."

"Can you tell us what you know?"

Oh boy…here I go. Gotta make this better than the speeches I gave Amelia and Melissa. "My parents, Samuel and Tanya Chamall, loved Nonextants. They studied them and lived with them…and eventually died because of an accident involving one of them. But it _was_ an accident…they wouldn't want Nonextants made illegal because of it."

She gives me a quick smile. "And it was your uncle who proposed the law, correct?"

I nod. "I think it was out of grief. He didn't understand what Nonextants meant to my parents."

The S.A stands. "Objection! Witness is assuming – "

"Sustained."

The rest of the questioning goes pretty much the same way. The S.A objects to every other word out of Amelia's mouth and by the time she's done, we've barely said anything and her face is bright red from frustration.

"No further questions." She finally snaps and I follow her back to our table.

The prosecution calls a few more witnesses, but Amelia doesn't cross-examine them. She, too, looks like she's about to cry – which just makes me all the more nervous. In fact, the only person who looks confident in this courtroom is Gianni…and that's not exactly comforting.

I stare out the window, trying to distract myself. It's raining, the kind of nasty winter rain that is freezing cold, but still melts all the snow.

I'd give anything to be out in it right now.

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**_

The trial is finally recessed until tomorrow. Amelia gives me a quick, distracted hug and I'm escorted back to the police car by the same cops. They must have stayed the whole time.

There are a bunch of people protesting right in front of the steps. I catch a glimpse of a sign and the end of a chant and realize they're protesting for my release. I try to smile at them as I pass, but they're too busy to notice. Still, people were willing to come out in the rain and shout for me. That's nice to know.

When we get back, all the other kids are gone again. There's a dog person visiting and they're all doing therapy exercises with the dogs or something. I don't want to go…it'll remind me too much of Tanya.

Instead, I sit on my bed.

Doing nothing.

At all.

In a way, it feels good though. I'm not even letting myself think, so I'm not worrying about the trial or anything…just being able to relax without anyone watching me feels good. I never thought I'd prefer this place to anywhere, but I guess it's better than the courthouse.

I peel off my suit, hoping it doesn't smell too sweaty and change back into the t-shirt and sweatpants. It's only like five or six, but I get into bed anyway...it's been a long day.

I start shivering as soon as I'm under the covers…being overheated all day makes everything else seem cold. _Maybe I'll get hypothermia. _I smile bitterly. _Those reporters would love it if I died in the middle of the trial…makes for a better story._

It's the first time I've thought about death in a long time, but now that it's there, my mind won't let it go. I freak out about my death, Melissa's death, my parents' death, Tanya's death, Wood's death...I'm shaking and on the verge of tears when I hear a low moaning sound.

I open my eyes (I didn't realize they were closed) and huge eyes blink at me.

"Are you a ghost?" I'm not sure why I say it. It's not like it's going to answer me. But it looks so scary and I'm so focused on death that it comes out of my mouth before I can help myself.

It just looks at me.

I sigh. "I know. I'm crazy."

It shakes its head.

"Well, thanks."

It makes the noise and fades from view.

I close my eyes again and pull the blanket up to my chin. "Good night."

It isn't until I'm just about to fall asleep that I remember that they didn't handcuff me this time.

It's rough getting up the next morning.

When I wake up, I think for a minute that I'm home – which makes it all the worse when I open my eyes and realize where I really am. I get dressed in the suit (which is all wrinkled from yesterday) and try to stand without leaning on a wall.

I'm escorted to the patrol car, again without handcuffs, and almost fall back asleep by the time we get to the courthouse. I walk out, too tired this time to smile at the protesters and kind of stagger over to Amelia.

"Look at you!" She checks her watch and drags me into a bathroom, dabbing at my face with a wet paper towel. "How late were you up?"

"Not that late actually." I rub my eyes and yawn. The cold water is waking me up a little bit. "But I haven't really been sleeping much for the last couple of weeks."

She lets out a short, frustrated sigh and starts combing my hair with a comb out of her purse. "Well, look a little more alive, okay? This is most likely the last day." She wets my hair, gives it a few more strokes and then turns me towards a mirror. "That okay?"

It's parted differently than it usually is, but it doesn't look bad. "Yeah. Thanks."

She smiles at my reflection.

It suddenly occurs to me how much I owe this woman. Not only has she defended me for nothing and made Wood incredibly happy, she's also the closest thing to a mother I've ever had.

I turn and hug her. "Thank you..."

She hugs me back and there's a moment of pressure on top of my head, which I think is a kiss. "Of course." Then she lets go of me. "Now come on. We'll be late."

I follow her out and back to the table from yesterday, looking around. There are more people today, even though it's Monday. A lot of them seem to be on my side, judging from the whispers I can make out and that encourages me a little. Then again, Owen and Cheryl are still here and glaring at me murderously. I wink and grin at them before turning back to Amelia.

"So it's your turn to present your case, right?"

"Right." She rifles through her briefcase. "You're really good with all this legal stuff. Definitely better than me."

"Hey, you're doing a great job!" I hope that doesn't come out as fake as I think it does. "And once we win this, you'll have a great reputation from defending the Chamall kid and everyone will want to hire you!"

She raises an eyebrow. "You're jynxing us."

I knock on the table. "There."

"It's probably not even wood." She looks back to her briefcase. "There's a lot of fake wood stuff now."

"Pseudo wood?"

"Mmhm."

"All rise!"

We stand and Gianni takes his place, looking even less sympathetic than yesterday.

Seeing him erases any confidence I might have had and my mouth goes dry. Even though he's not looking at me, it still feels like he's glaring at me more menacingly than Owen and Cheryl. How can they let someone so obviously biased run this trial? And how come nobody else has noticed it?

He shoots a glance at me and I look away quickly, hoping he didn't catch me staring. With him, that would probably amount to contempt of court.

It's Amelia's turn to present her case today and she looks almost as nervous as I am. I think she'd feel worse than I would if we lost, even though I'm the one being punished.

She calls a couple of witnesses – the owner of the gym, the cop who arrested me – and I tune out a little bit. Her questions are all pretty standard anyway. I look out the window and shift in my seat, trying to figure out a way to keep my butt from going numb.

It doesn't get really interesting until she calls up one of my old teachers. She's asking him about how I behaved and if he thinks I'm really capable of committing a crime for no reason. And then, of course –

"Objection, Your Honor!" This is the S.A's third objection in five minutes.

Amelia whirls around. "Mr. Prosecutor, this is my witness and the questions I ask him have a direct bearing on this trial, may I please continue without constant interruption!"

The S.A looks genuinely stunned this time.

Gianni bangs his gavel (for no apparent reason, nobody's talking) and gives Amelia a stern warning about court proceedings, but she looks relieved and extremely self-satisfied and I notice that her hands don't shake anymore when she talks.

The S.A doesn't object for the rest of her questioning.

There are a couple more witnesses, including a local vet and Owen and Cheryl again. Amelia asks them basically the same questions as before, with a slightly more accusatory tone, and gets basically the same answers. I see them talking and snickering in the audience once she's done talking to them and it occurs to me that they're missing school for this. This is probably fun for them, seeing me get in trouble.

Once she's run out of other people, she calls me. I get up, more nervously than yesterday – somehow it makes it worse that Amelia's questioning me. Maybe because I didn't like the prosecutor…but this time I don't want to answer questions badly and make Amelia look bad.

My voice cracks and I have to clear my throat a few times when I'm taking the oath and stating my name for the record. I force myself to look away from the T.V cameras in the back of the room and make eye contact with Amelia. She smiles encouragingly and starts.

"So you've already established that you found this animal outside of the Chartreuse gym, near where you lived."

I blink. _That was quick._ "Um…yes."

"And that this animal, while in your possession, did not cause harm to anyone or anything."

"Yes." Well, besides me. But I deserved it.

"And until Owen Chessy reported you to the police, nobody else knew of this animal's existence."

"No." I say it too quickly, but it's better than hesitating. "Nobody knew. I kept her safe."

She raises her eyebrows and smiles, impressed by my choice of words. "So how would Chessy know that you had a Nonextant?"

I don't look at Owen, but I can still see his expression out of the corner of my eye and I have to stop myself from smirking. "He saw it once. But only for a moment, and only her face, which doesn't look any different than a dog."

"So how could he know it was a Nonextant?"

"He has one himself."

The S.A practically knocks over his chair. "Objection! We are here for Mr. Chamall, not to condemn Mr. Chessy!" The judge bangs his gavel and sustains it.

Amelia nods. "I just wanted to establish that not all of the witnesses are completely trustworthy. If Owen never saw it, how could he have known it was a Nonextant? How could he even know Dash – Daniel was keeping it?"

I open my mouth to answer, but she whispers "Rhetorical."

She turns away from me. "Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to point out that the very law that my client was convicted for is, as we speak, being overturned in the state legislature. And that it says, in layman's terms, that no Nonextant may be employed to hurt any human or any other Nonextant and that keeping a Nonextant is a danger to the keeper and those around him." She takes a deep breath. "The Nonextant in question never harmed a living soul and the only reason it was kept was to prevent its own slaughter. Is that a crime, ladies and gentlemen?" She flops into her chair, face red. "The defense rests."

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**_

I am going out of my mind.

My butt is completely numb from this chair, my heart is going a mile a minute, my throat is constricted, my eyes are blurry and if I open my mouth to say one word, I know I'll burst into tears. We're going to lose, I know it…I wish I had kissed Melissa when I had the chance. Amelia's nervous too…she's chewing on her thumbnail so hard it's starting to bleed.

It's been thirty minutes since the jury adjourned to make their verdict – I've been checking the giant clock constantly. I don't think I can stand much more and it doesn't help that the reporters are talking about me ten feet away. Granted, most of it is complimentary, but right now every word brings me closer to puking.

I force myself to take a couple of deep breaths. _It's okay. It's okay. Worst case scenario, you lose, go back to juvie and make an appeal. And if you lose that one, you're only in there for five months. It's not that bad. _

I don't believe a word.

Before I can scare myself again, the door opens and the jury files back in. I think one of them smiles at me, but I'm so shaky with adrenaline, I can't be sure. Besides, that smile could mean anything.

Gianni doesn't even look at them. "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

The foreman, an older guy with spiky hair and a lot of wrinkles, stands up. "We have, your Honor."

I bite my lip, trying to keep from throwing up and crying at the same time.

"We find the defendant, Daniel Chamall, not guilty."

My eyes tear up anyway.

I'm instantly surrounded by every reporter in the room. There are only about six or seven, but with their shouting and cameramen, it seems like a lot more. I can see Gianni's furious expression over the top of their heads and I can't resist a grin.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Did you know this was going to happen?"

"How would your parents feel about this?"

I had no idea I was this famous. I glance over at Amelia and she joins me in the middle of the circle of people. "Ladies and gentlemen, Dash will answer one question from each of you…as long as it's okay with me." She adds in an undertone.

One of the camera persons grabs me first and poses me with a reporter. "A little closer…yeah, that's great."

The reporter smiles a big fake smile into the camera before turning to me. "Can you tell us your feelings on this alleged crime?"

After making sure Amelia's okay with it before I shrug. "I think I did the right thing. I saved a life, even if it was a small one." There's a lot of scribbling in notepads after that one. Must have been pretty good.

Another microphone is thrust under my face. "Would you do it again, knowing what you know now?"

I smile. "In a heartbeat."

There are more, but mostly along the same lines – my feelings and so on. I get through them pretty quickly. Amelia thanks them and starts leading me towards the door, putting her arm around me. I'm glad she does…all of a sudden, all the nerves in my legs shut down and my knees start quivering.

"Wow. Am I really that popular?" Man, even my voice is shaky.

"I don't know…a couple of those reporters were from tabloids. You're probably the mutant boy raised by Nonextants now."

I laugh for the first time in a while.

It's not raining outside, but it's dark and windy and all the protestors have gone home. Too bad…I really wanted to thank them.

Amelia walks over to her car and unlocks the door. "You're free to go unless you left anything at the center."

I roll my eyes. They offered to let me bring some stuff with me when I first got arrested, but I didn't have anything much and they still would have made me wear the gray clothes. "Just a month of my life."

She opens the door and gives me a sad smile. "Hey…cheer up. We just won!"

"I am happy!" I cross over to the other side and slide into the passenger seat. "It's just a fact. It sucks, but it's not that big a deal. It was only a month, after all."

"That's the spirit." She gets in too and turns the key. "So where to?"

"That's it? There's no, like, paperwork to sign or anything?"

She waves a hand. "A little. But I can do it later. Right now is your time. So where to?"

My face breaks out in a grin. "Can't you guess?"

It's getting even windier now and the tall grass is practically vibrating back and forth. I can practically feel the oncoming storm on my skin and I can't imagine what it must feel like for the animals. Terrifying, probably. But at least it won't snow in here.

"Tanya?" I call half as loud as I actually want to, but weather like this is humbling.

I step through the grass carefully, hoping that I don't run into anything… they could do some serious damage and without Tanya, I won't be able to get away from them, no matter how tiny they are.

"Taaaaanya!" A little bit louder now. My heart is beating really fast for some reason. I almost wish I hadn't asked Amelia to stay in the car. What if Tanya's not here? What if something happened to her? Or what if she's completely different now that she's…completely different?

_That was stupid, Dash._

I try to skirt around the edges of the long grass so it won't keep whipping against my legs, but in some places, there's no way around it. "Tanya!" She's probably enjoying watching me suffer.

Suddenly, there's a movement in the grass ahead of me. I almost swallow my tongue and try to take a step back, but my ankle's tangled around an especially long blade of grass. My heart beats so fast, I'm sure it's echoing off the trees.

I see a form crouching in front of me and the word's out of my mouth before I can stop it.

"Tanya?"

She straightens up.

She's not exactly pure white, but tinged with yellow or beige and her coat looks incredibly soft and smooth. Her little tuft of hair on top of her head and her tails are a lot longer now and she has nine tails, with no gaps in between. Her eyes are reddish orange and when she's sitting in front of me, like she is now, the top of her head comes almost to my chest.

I had no idea what Tanya looked like.

But I know this is her.

I reach out a hand to pat the top of her head cautiously – after all, she is a lot bigger now – and she presses her head into my palm.

I drop to my knees and hug her around the neck, tears blurring my vision for no reason. "I guess you won't fit in a backpack anymore." It comes out as a husky, whispered sob.

She purrs reassuringly, radiating a gentle heat and licks my cheek.

I laugh softly and sit back on my heels. "You know what I've been through for you?"

She nods and gives me a look that says _You know what I've been through for __you__?_

I let out a long, shuddery breath and put a hand on her neck. "I guess you won't be able to come home with me."

She shakes her head.

"I didn't think so. Those tails are a little bit harder to hide."

She curls them around her feet and nods.

I just look at her a while, stroking her neck. Her fur really is as soft as it looks and I'm just trying to get used to the fact that this is the puppy thing that I rescued from an alley. It's not that hard, actually. It somehow…makes sense.

"So the others have been visiting you?"

She nods.

"Have you been okay?"

She nods.

"Do you think you'll still be okay when I leave?"

She nods.

I bite my lip and bury my face in her fur. "I love you."

She purrs a little louder.

After a while, I pull away. "I have to go. But I'll be back."

She nods and almost smiles. _I know_.

I stand up and she walks with me towards the exit, stopping when we get close enough to the road to be seen.

"I'll be back tomorrow, if not later today, okay?"

She nods.

"Okay. Well…then. Bye for now." I turn and start for the exit, taking deep breaths to try and not look so weepy.

Then I feel something being pressed into my hand.

I look down. There's a small stick nestled into my palm and Tanya's already gone.

As I climb under the chain, back to the car, Amelia opens her door and hurries over to me with an umbrella. "I was wondering when you'd get back. You're soaked!"

Oh.

It's raining.

I didn't notice.

I'm tired.

I wanted to go see Melissa and Rock too, hang out, maybe even have a little party, but I had no idea how exhausted I am. I've been running on practically nothing but adrenaline all day and now that I'm wet and cold, I want nothing more than to just sleep in my own bed.

Amelia drives me home and gives me a little hug while stifling a yawn. She's pretty tired too. "Wood's still out…he should be getting back late tomorrow or maybe the day after that. He said there was food in the fridge, but call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Did you tell him that we won?"

"I called him while you were with Tanya. He says he knew it all along." She smiles. "Now get some rest."

I start to shut the door, then pause. "Do I have to go to school tomorrow?"

Her smile gets bigger. "Only if you want to. Don't strain yourself, okay? Goodnight, Dash."

"G'night." I slam the door and she drives away, waving over her shoulder.

Climbing the stairs is a physical exertion – the wet suit weighs a ton and my legs are still shaking a little bit. And once I do get to the top, the apartment looks completely different. I mean, we've cleaned it in the past, but this is almost…habitable. The rug is actually the shade of white it's supposed to be, you can see the bottom of the sink and the black handprint I left on the wall when I was ten is miraculously gone. My room is clean too. The police probably searched it, but it's back in order now. Anyway, my guitar's fine and my nightstand cabinet's empty, so I'm happy. I wonder if it was Amelia or Wood who did all this.

I peel off my suit and drape it over the radiator, hoping it won't be too gross…It's the only suit I have. Then I take a shower, which is pure bliss. Just being back in this bathroom, where there isn't graffiti all over the walls and the lingering smell of cigarettes is heaven.

My bed's even better. I toss and turn for about fifteen minutes, just enjoying the fact that I can without a million springs squeaking. A sudden wave of elation hits me and I snuggle into my blankets and heave a happy sigh. I'm so glad to be home. I only wish Tanya were here. Or Wood. It's amazing how fifty square feet can feel so empty.

A faint light from behind me casts shadows on the wall.

I smile, but don't roll over. "I always thought this place was haunted."

The low moaning noise is the last thing I hear before I fall asleep.

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**_

I wake up early the next morning and since I'm not too tired and it's stopped raining, I decide to go to school. I'm actually really excited about it…after the time I've had, even conjugating verbs will be fun. Besides, I can surprise Melissa and Rock.

It's not that freezing outside, so I walk…mostly so I won't have to ride on the bus with Owen. Maybe it'll be easier to avoid him now that he hates me too.

Even though it is above freezing, I'm still shivering by the time I get to school. This hat and these gloves really do nothing against the cold…my ears and fingertips are almost completely numb.

The first couple of periods are pretty okay – my English teacher keeps shooting me dirty looks, but my history teacher smiles and congratulates me. The kids are divided about the same, but I'm amazed at how many people were and are on my side. I get a lot of high-fives and questions about Tanya (which I don't answer) and admiring looks.

It isn't until after third period that I see Melissa. Her back is to me, which is perfect… I want to surprise her. I sneak up behind her, slide my arms around her waist and whisper, "Miss me?"

She shrieks and spins around. When she sees that it's me, her face breaks into a grin and she hugs me so hard, I can barely breathe. "I missed you so much, Dash…"

I rub her back and kiss the top of her head. "I missed you too, Mel."

She tilts her head back and I kiss her in the most passionate, "graphic" and probably detention-worthy way I know how. She kisses me back just as hard, sighing happily and sliding her hands into my back pockets. Her lips are soft and there's a small electric shock working its way up and down my spine…we don't even slow down when the bell rings.

Best kiss of my life.

"So, what did I miss?"

We're in lunch, sitting inside, but far enough away from everyone else to have some privacy. And this time, it's _me_ sitting with my arm around Melissa's waist and it feels _good_.

"Not much." Rock opens his lunch. "Um…we learned about exponential functions in math…"

"Besides that, Dexter." I pretend to steal his pudding cup and laugh when he smacks the side of my head. "I mean exciting stuff! Scandals! Like if that one guy got his hair cut yet."

"Nothing that exciting." Melissa crosses her legs and moves closer. "Your track coach was pretty worried, though. He talked to us a couple of times, asking if you got hurt."

"Aw, that was nice of him." I make another attempt at Rock's pudding, getting it this time.

He laughs. "Take it. You deserve it."

I peel back the top and lick the wrapper. "So anything happen with you and Gina?"

He shakes his head and shrugs. "It's all right though. I think she's okay."

Melissa leans in closer and whispers, "He flirts with all the girls now. But I think most of them heard what happened with me and Gina and they don't really talk to him."

I suppress a grin. I've seen Rock when he gets flirty and it is nothing short of pathetic. Still, I hope someone will have pity on him eventually…it gets a little sad after a while.

"Did you go to see Tanya?" He asks, handing me his spoon.

"Yeah." I take it. "She's…different. Like she went from being a puppy to a dog. More…mature, kind of. But she's still the same in a lot of ways, so I can still tell it's her, you know?" They nod. "I was going to go back there later today…you guys want to come? It could be a little return party."

Melissa hugs me as hard as she can as her answer.

Rock grins. "That sounds great. I might be a little late though. Shelter stuff."

Melissa lets go of me. "What happened?"

He rolls his eyes. "Someone dropped off a tank of fish. Seriously – twenty five goldfish out of nowhere with no explanation. No note, no nothing."

"Weird." I take a bite of pudding. "Are they nice goldfish at least? Could you sell them for like a dollar each or something?"

"No, they're totally useless and ugly. Occasionally, one will go to the top of the tank and make a little splash, but that's it. Nothing happens."

Melissa giggles. "Maybe they'll get better…? Like, as they get older or something?"

Rock shrugs. "Maybe. Anyway, I gotta help put them into different tanks this afternoon, so…meet you there around three?"

His eyelid twitches ever so slightly and I get it. He's just giving us an hour to ourselves (plus an hour he won't have to watch us make out). I glance at Melissa, but she hasn't noticed_. Perfect_. This is why he's my best friend. I wink back. "Sounds good."

Melissa snuggles up to me and sighs happily. "I'm so glad you're back."

I smile and stroke her hair gently. "Me too."

"Happier than she's been in weeks." Rock murmurs, so only I can hear.

After a second, he adds, "I'm glad you're back too."

"I think maybe I'll take one of those fish Rock was talking about. At least to take one off his hands, you know?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Really?"

Melissa puts her hands on her hips. "Hey, I like fish, remember?"

It's true. Ever since she was little, she's had a huge aquarium in her room filled with all sorts of brightly colored fish. They're the only pets her parents aren't allergic to and I think she likes them better than anything else anyway.

"Yeah, I know…" I lace my fingers with hers. "But he said they were really ugly and I thought you liked pretty ones."

"It'll be my pity fish." She starts running the nail of her index finger over the palm of my hand, sending chills up my arm. "And maybe it'll get prettier as it gets older or something."

"You did." I kiss her cheek.

"You're sweet." She squeezes my hand.

We're walking slowly, even though the park is pretty far away from the school. I think we just want to be able to lean against each other for as long as we can, even if it takes the whole hour Rock's given us.

"How was Rock while I was gone?" That sounds weird to me, like I was only away on vacation or out of the room for a long time. Still, it's better than saying "incarcerated" or something.

She shrugs. "About the same. Quiet. Flirty, like I said."

I put an arm around her shoulders. "And you?"

She looks down. "I was…upset. You…I just got you and losing you so quickly like that…while everyone else talked behind your back…" She lets out a long, shuddery sigh. "It was bad."

"Shh…" I pull her closer and kiss her forehead. "It's okay now."

She stops and hugs me hard, face buried in my chest. "I love you…" She whispers, voice muffled by my vest. "You've been so good to me…"

I hug her back. "I love you too, Melissa…"

We walk in silence the rest of the way, arms around each other. I've gotten a lot more optimistic since the trial, but a little piece of my paranoid side still remains and I wonder if she's telling the truth. Maybe she just said she loves me because I said it first. Maybe I was just the first available guy who liked her besides Rock. Maybe she still likes Rock…

_Dash, this is Melissa we're talking about. She's not the kind who uses people. And anyway, she loved you while you were in _prison_. She was loyal and she missed you so much…how could you doubt her?_

I smile and tighten my grip on her.

When we get to the park, I can see Tanya sitting and waiting for us. She's out of view of the road, but you can just barely see her if you're standing at the entrance.

"Have you guys come here before?" I lift up the chain to let Melissa through.

She's seen Tanya too. "No…at least, not right after school. I don't know why she'd be waiting for us."

As soon as we're past the trees, out of sight, she pads up to us and rubs her head against my leg, purring.

I smile and rub her ears. "You miss me?" She purrs louder. "Yeah, I can tell. You came up to _me_ instead of Melissa."

Melissa sticks her tongue out at me. "Well, she was with me all the time before."

Tanya tilts back her head and I kneel down to scratch her chin. "Does she like Rock any better?"

Melissa laughs. "She hates him. Maybe it was just seeing him with me instead of you, but she's bitten him a couple of times and usually growls if he gets too close."

Speaking of Rock, I wonder how much of that hour has passed. I'd better make the most of it. "Hey…" I stand up again and pull her close. "You know, Valentine's Day is coming up…"

She wraps her arms around my neck. "I haven't even given you your Christmas present yet!"

I rest my hands on her hips. "You're all I want."

"Dash…"

"Shh." I kiss her gently, lips barely brushing hers. "Just being alone with you like this is great."

"Just you and me…" She kisses me again and I can feel her smiling. "I know it's my destiny…"

I chuckle, recognizing the words from a poem I wrote her. "A heart so true…our courage will pull us through."

She kisses her way up to my ear and breathes, "You teach me and I'll teach you…"

I can't resist anymore. I kiss her hard, sliding my hand up to the back of her neck and running my fingers through her hair. She shivers a little and presses closer, tilting her head to make the kiss even deeper. Her eyes are closed, but I keep mine open, gazing at her and not quite believing someone this beautiful would ever want anything to do with me.

After a little bit, Tanya butts her head against my leg, whimpering and we laugh and break apart. I kneel down again. "You're right…we came here to see you."

She rolls her eyes and jerks her head towards the entrance. _That's not what I meant, moron, look._

I look up and see Rock standing awkwardly at the entrance, pretending to be extremely interested in something in the opposite direction.

Melissa sees him too. "We're done, Rock. Sorry."

He turns around and grins. "It's okay." He jogs over. "Finally got all the fish organized…sorry it didn't take as long as I thought."

Melissa punches him gently. "Don't apologize!"

I wink at him and mouth _It's okay._

Tanya has backed up a couple of steps and is now growling at him softly, the hair on her back standing up and her teeth showing. When he looks at her, the growl gets louder.

I kneel down next to her again. "Hey…it's okay. Rock's not a threat. He's been a really good friend to me and he's been pretty good to you too…tolerate him? For me?"

She glances at me and stops growling.

"That's better."

She blinks warmly and takes a couple of tentative steps towards Rock, letting him touch the top of her head for a second before pulling back again.

"Wow." He looks from her to me. "That's…amazing. Especially since she hasn't seen you in so long…"

I shrug, proud, but trying to hide it. "It's not me, you know that. It's her. She's smart." Tanya stands a little straighter and purrs.

"Yeah…" He looks at her for a minute then claps his hands suddenly. "You wanna go find some birds?"

She yips happily and runs after him into the long grass.

I lace my fingers with Melissa's and start to follow them. "You know how I know she's so smart?"

"Um…" She counts off on her fingers. "Because she can understand every word that comes out of your mouth? Because she won't run away? Because she can learn commands in an hour?"

"Besides that."

"How?"

I kiss her on the cheek. "She likes you best."

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**_

We stay in the park for another couple of hours. Tanya gets bored with the birds and mice after a while and so we take turns throwing sticks for her (she still doesn't like to fetch, but she has fun igniting them in midair). Meanwhile, we talk. They catch me up a little bit more on stuff I've missed and I tell them about juvie, trying to keep to the happy stuff, but there's not much of that.

When it starts getting dark-ish, I hug Tanya goodbye and she walks us to the entrance, wagging her tails as we leave.

"She seems pretty happy there." I comment, taking Melissa's hand.

They both exchange glances. "She's a lot happier now that you're back." Melissa snuggles into my shoulder. "We all are."

I try to suppress my self-satisfied grin.

When we get to Melissa's house, I walk her up to her door. She pecks me on the cheek and opens the door. "Come in for just a minute, okay? I'm gonna go get your present."

I step over the threshold and stand awkwardly in the doorway for a few minutes. It's one of those too-clean houses where you almost don't want to step on the floor in case you get it dirty. Also, I'm not sure if her family knows we're dating.

She comes back downstairs with a box and a huge _I got you something perfect_ smile. "Okay, so I wanted to get you something nice, but I also wanted to get you something you could actually use, so – " She breaks off excitedly and hands me the box.

I rip off the wrapping paper slowly, savoring the suspense. Inside is a shoe box and inside the shoe box is a pair of ultra-expensive, brand-new, top-of-the-line sneakers.

I lift one out, speechless.

"Do you like them?" She asks anxiously. "The guy at the store said they were the best running shoes they had – "

I sweep her into my arms and twirl her around. "I love them! You are the best girlfriend ever!"

She giggles, feet still not touching the ground. "I'm really glad you like them."

"Me too." I kiss her on the cheek and put her down. "This puts that little stuffed egg I got you to shame."

"Of course not, I love that!" She tousles my hair. "Now go on, Rock's waiting."

I glance at him, then whisper in her ear. "Did you ever get him anything this nice?"

"No." She whispers back. "You're special." She winks and closes the door.

I walk back to Rock, trying not to swagger.

He's trying not to look jealous. "What'd she get you?"

I open the box again and show him the running shoes. They're red and sleek and cool-looking, with a big "B" on the sides and soles that practically look like space-age technology.

"Awesome." He says it a little flatly, but seems to realize it and smiles.

We start walking towards his house and I feel a little pang of guilt. "Hey…I'm sorry we were so in your face when you found out we were dating. We were jerks."

He waves a hand. "Nah, you were justified. I was a real asshole and you guys were mad and I totally get that."

I feel better. "Still, sorry that we kind of rub it in a lot…"

He raises an eyebrow. "Dash, I did the same thing to you. It's really all right! I'm over it by now anyway."

"Okay." I feel _much_ better.

He stops, fishes in his pocket, and pulls out his phone, which is vibrating loudly. "Hello? Oh, hey, Wood." He glances at me. "Yeah, I'm with him. Why, is he in trouble?"

I stick out my tongue at him.

"You're gonna lock him in the basement for a month?" He makes a face back. "Good." A pause. "Yeah, I will. You too. No prob." He hangs up.

"Am I actually in trouble?" I doubt I am, but still.

"Nah, he was just wondering where you were. He just got home and he wants you back pretty soon."

"Okay. Want me to walk you the rest of the way, or – "

He shakes his head. "No, it's okay. Have fun."

"You too." I turn around and start walking the other direction. As soon as he's out of sight, I take a knee and start taking off my shoes so I can wear the new ones. I slip my foot into the left one and smile. They're just my size. They're also super comfy and really lightweight – I could run forever in these things.

I tie the laces and stand up, bouncing on my toes. Then I break into a run, my other shoes bouncing inside the box.

These sneakers are amazing.

I mean, I haven't done much running lately except indoors against Jared, but I remember how my old shoes felt on pavement. And they'd always slide around on the gym floor, making me lose my lead. The running shoes though, they grip the sidewalk like nobody's business. I can turn and stop on a dime. _Man, I wish I had these against Jared. I definitely would have won._

I reach my apartment in record time, completely out of breath. I don't know if I've ever run that fast before.

"Hey, Dash."

I turn, hunched over and breathing hard.

Owen and Cheryl are standing behind me, with the cat in between them. They're all eyeing me cautiously, as if I might explode, but Owen still has his signature smile.

He sticks out a hand. "No hard feelings?"

I shake my head, trying not to hyperventilate in anger. "No…no…hard feelings."

He breaks into a grin. "Great. Wanna come to the fight with us? You know, kind of an apology gift from us."

I stare at him for a minute in disbelief.

Then I straighten up, my breath pretty much back to normal. "That's okay. We could have our own fight right here."

I step forward, too fast for either of them to do anything, but Cheryl winces and Owen tries to get into a pathetic fighting stance.

I kick the cat.

Not hard enough to hurt it or anything, I'd never be that mean. I just hook my foot under its stomach and send it flying a couple of feet. It lets out a very…well…a very fake sounding "meow" as it lands and turns to hiss at me before running away.

Cheryl curses and runs after it and Owen glares at me before running after her.

I chuckle a little as I watch them go. I'm probably in a lot of trouble now that Owen's my enemy…

But at least I showed that stupid cat who's boss.

_You're crazy, Dash._

_But you're the boss._

I take the stairs two at a time and was even more out of breath by the time I get to the apartment. I shift the shoebox under my arm and open the door.

It's messy again. Wood's open duffel bag is on the floor and most of his clothes are draped over the back of the couch or just tossed on the cushions. The kitchen is in total chaos and there's a smell of something cooking, but I'm not sure what. There's also another suitcase by Wood's door, which is half closed and has whispering noises emanating from within.

"Hello?" I call.

The door opens and Wood comes out of his room, grinning at me. Before I can say anything, he swoops me into a huge hug and lifts me off my feet, shaking me back and forth like he used to do when I was little. I try to hug him back, but he's got both my arms pinned down and so I just laugh.

Finally, he puts me down. "How you doing, kiddo?"

Another nickname from when I was little. It's cute, I just hope it doesn't keep up. "Great! It's so great to be back here, you have no idea."

"Actually, I do." He gestures at the duffel bag. "I haven't been home in a while either."

I glance behind him. "I guess we won't be able to call it the bachelor pad anymore."

Amelia steps forward and puts an arm around Wood's waist. "You don't mind, do you? I've been staying here a lot during your trial and stuff and we just thought it might be easier if I stayed here for good…"

I pretend to consider. "Will you still let us eat corn dogs on Christmas?"

She looks at Wood with raised eyebrows. He smiles and kisses her. Then she smiles too and turns back to me. "Of course."

I rub my chin with fake apprehension. "Well…"

Wood falls to his knees. "Oh pleasepleasepleeeeeease? I promise I'll be really responsible, I'll take her for walks and clean up her messes and she'll be very good…"

Amelia sticks out her lower lip and nods.

I throw up my hand. "Fine! But if you don't take care of her, she's going back to the pound!"

"Yes!" Wood jumps to his feet and kisses her again.

I chuckle. It's kinda nice to watch them, in a way. I've never really seen them kiss before today and…it makes me happy to see them happy, if that makes sense. I wonder if that's how Rock feels sometimes.

Wood finally pulls away. "Hey, new kicks!"

I roll my eyes. "Just say shoes, Wood."

"Hey, new shoes!"

"Much better." I twist my foot, admiring them again. "They're Melissa's Christmas present."

Wood lets out a low whistle. "Looks like the tables have turned."

_Oh wow, he doesn't know we're dating. _"Uh…yeah." _Oh well, he'll figure it out eventually._

I go to my room and toss the shoebox on my bed. Then I pull my guitar out of the closet and walk back into the living room, flopping down on the couch.

Wood lets out a fake groan. "Not this again!"

"You said you missed it." I point out, twisting the pegs.

"I was in a momentary state of delusion!" He's in a good mood.

I strum a chord, making it sound bad on purpose. Then I start playing one of Wood's least favorite songs as badly as I can. Amelia joins in with the lyrics, off-key and out of time. Wood jams his hands over his ears and drops to his knees, writhing on the floor. After a little bit, Amelia starts making up new words, about how Wood smells bad and how dumb he is. Eventually, despite his act, even he can't stop himself from laughing.

It's good to be home.

We have a real party that night, the first party I can remember in that apartment. It's supposed to be a surprise party for me – which is weird, because I'm the first one there. Still, I wasn't expecting it, so I guess it qualifies.

Rock and Melissa arrive together, both with huge grins and plates of snacks. Rock, of course, brought the vegetable platter.

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow at him as I take it to the kitchen.

"What? It's healthy!"

I take off the lid and survey the contents. "Ew, celery. I hate celery."

Melissa picks up a stalk. "Plus, they're so little. Like babies."

"Celery babies?"

"Celebaby!"

"Celeby!"

Rock rolls his eyes. "Though why I want you guys to be healthy, I don't know."

Other people show up, mostly Amelia and Wood's friends from work (who knew Wood had friends?) and some others who were somehow involved with my trial. Melissa says she almost invited Gina, but figured there'd probably be too much drama involved.

There's only about fifteen people total, but still, the apartment is packed. I'd like to retreat to my room with Rock and Melissa, but the party _is _for me and people keep coming up to me and telling me how they were rooting for me all along and how I inspired them and how they hope I can get Tanya back soon. A couple of them even launch into long anecdotes which don't really apply to me and it's during one of these that I glance at Amelia desperately.

She smiles and taps her fork against her glass. Everyone quiets down and Wood stands up next to her. "Thanks for coming, everybody. I'm not one for speeches, but…It means a lot to me to have my nephew back – " There are some murmurs of agreement. "And that all you guys were supporting him. He did a very brave thing and let's hope his efforts will not go unrewarded." He lifts his beer bottle. "Dash."

Everyone raises their glasses too, repeating my name and Melissa kisses me on the cheek.

I think I blush, but I'm too happy to care.

_**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**_

I stumble to a stop, my momentum carrying me farther than I thought. "Time?" I gasp.

Rock glances at the stopwatch. "Two fifty four."

I collapse against a tree and Tanya flops down next to me, panting. "Not…bad, huh?" I rub the top of her head, but I'm too hot to touch her fur for long.

"Not that bad, but you've done better." Rock, the ever-critical coach, tosses me a water bottle.

"Oh, shush." Melissa makes a face at him and sits down next to me, kissing my sweaty forehead. "I think you did great."

"He's…only hard on because…he loves me." I smile and chug half the water bottle, pouring the other half over my head.

Melissa giggles and pulls back to avoid being splashed.

It's hot for May, a little muggy too…kind of a prelude for the summer. I probably shouldn't be running in this kind of heat, but Rock's been pushing me pretty hard ever since I got out of juvie. Mostly, I run laps around the park with Tanya. She's pretty fast too, but I almost always manage to keep an even pace with her.

I hear my ringtone and Melissa pulls my phone out of her purse (my shorts don't have pockets) and hands it to me. It still seems weird to me that I have a phone, but when Wood got his raise at the lab, it was the first thing he bought.

I press talk and hold it up to my ear, trying not to get it too wet. "Hello?"

"Are you all there?" It's Wood.

I roll my eyes and smile. "What do you think?" Tanya gets up and starts licking my hair. I laugh and push her away.

"Great. Well, all three of you, come over here." He sounds excited.

"Why, what's up?"

"Can't tell you. You'll see!" He hangs up.

I stand up, wiping my face with the bottom of my shirt. "Wood wants to see us."

Rock hands me a towel. He's always super prepared. "Why?"

I shrug. "He wouldn't tell me. But it sounds like something good."

We get our stuff together, say goodbye to Tanya and duck under the chain to the road. I'm still all hot and sweaty, but Melissa still holds my hand and Rock rests his elbow on my shoulder, talking about how I could reduce my time. Melissa and I exchange exasperated smiles.

There's no sign of Owen and Cheryl when we get to my building. They haven't been around much lately. Something happened last month that got his whole gang mad at him and now it's just the two of them and that cat. I think they're kind of at a loss now.

The apartment's changed too. I'm not sure whether it was Wood's raise or Amelia moving in, but it looks great now. Our kitchen is now perpetually clean, we have a television that was made in this decade and all our furniture is either new or in much better condition.

Wood is sitting on the couch and when we come in, he springs to his feet. He's practically jumping up and down.

"What is it, unc?" I throw my towel over the back of the couch.

He's trying hard to suppress a grin, but he can't do it anymore. "Guess which law just got overturned today?"

For a minute, we just stare at him.

Then Rock starts laughing and Melissa hugs him and then Wood and then me. I'm grinning too, but also tearing up just a little bit. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's relief…or happiness that that month in juvie and all of Wood's efforts have actually led to something.

"So does that mean we can bring Tanya here?" Melissa's arms are still around my neck.

"Well…if the landlord's okay with it." Wood reaches down and picks up a bag. "But the reason I wanted you to come quickly was to give you all a present." He clears his throat. "Now, you all know, I'm no good with speeches – "

I cut him off. "Then why try?"

He gives me a wry smile. "Fine, smart ass. You're a good kid and you two have been good friends to him and I want to give you all something."

Rock bites his lip. "Hmm… I don't know, Wood, that still seemed a little long."

Wood chuckles. "Anyway, now that these Nonextants are legal – "

I interrupt again. "They're going to need a new name."

He raises an eyebrow. "True. So now that...these animals are legal, you'll be able to get them almost anywhere in the wild. But not all of them." He dumps out the contents of his bag on the couch – three red and white spheres. "These three are unique."

He picks up one and turns to Rock. "You may not be perfect, but you always try to help other people to be. You're great with animals and the one teenage boy I know who didn't let his parent's plants die while they were on vacation. Therefore – " He hands one of the spheres to Rock. "You get the first one, a combination of the two."

Rock looks like he's either about to cry or burst into song. "Th…Thank you." He whispers.

Then Wood moves to Melissa. "I know all your good qualities. Dash has been telling me about them for years. You've always been the voice of reason for these two idiots and I doubt they'd stay sane without you. Plus, I know you like fish." He gives her the second sphere. "So here's a little addition to your aquarium."

Melissa turns it over in her hands and murmurs her thanks in the same awestruck way.

Then, Wood smiles at me. "And what can I say about you? You're a good kid, Dash. Everyone knows it. But you started this whole thing with a kind of rebellious spirit I'd never seen in you before. You turned the world upside down and never apologized for it." He puts the last sphere in my hand, closing my fingers around it. "A fiery companion to match Tanya and your own spirit."

I try to smile back at him, but I'm too choked up. Then the others both look at me excitedly and I can't help but grin.

Wood takes a step back and folds his arms. "Well, what are you waiting for? Your very own adventure is about to begin…"


End file.
